Evaluation of 7th and 9th semester Tabriz dental students’ ability to detect and diagnose oral mucosal lesions and anatomical variations in 2019-2020

Abstract

Introduction: Dentists play the first and most important role in the diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases and with their accuracy can be diagnosed even with minor and asymptomatic lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate of 7th and 9th semester Tabriz dental students’ ability to detect and diagnose oral mucosal lesions and anatomical variations. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, the level of diagnostic skills of 79 of 7th semester students and 77 of 9th semester students were assessed. Then the professors confirmed that these student’s diagnos that were right or wrong. The results were analyzed using chi-square test and the significance level was considered as P <0.05. Results: The results showed that about two thirds of students' diagnoses were correct. Candidiasis and leukoedema had the highest frequency of diagnosis (100%) and hairy tounge had the least frequency of diagnosis (0%). Overall, 9th semester students had a significantly lower error rate (P <0.001) than the 7th semester students. Conclusion: The results showed that about two thirds of students' diagnoses were correct.It is hoped that with the new educational techniques, students' diagnostic skills will improve significantly.