Factors Responsible for the Performance of Final-Year Dental Surgery Students in Their Professional Examinations in Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the factors responsible for the academic performance of clinical dentistry/dental surgery students, particularly those in their finals in Nigerian universities. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to identify the subjective factors that may affect the performance of dental surgery finalists at the undergraduate level in Nigerian dental schools and to proffer realistic suggestions to improve dental surgery education. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of final-year dental surgery students in Nigeria was conducted using a well-structured validated online questionnaire distributed randomly through online platforms. Descriptive and inferential data analysis was done with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Chi-squares and Fischer’s exact values were calculated. Significance was set at P < 0.05. Consent was obtained from all participants. RESULTS: Sixty-nine final-year dental surgery students completed and submitted the questionnaire. The hours spent on clinical hands-on-dental practice, dental surgery lectures/clinics attendance, and impact of particular course lecturers were the top three most agreed factors influencing the performance of dental surgery students in their examinations. A significant relationship (P = 0.027 [<0.05]; X(2) = 4.873) exists between gender and the perception in that the greater cumulative number of study hours was alluded to significantly influencing performance in examinations. More females unlike males indicated that the total number of hours studied does not affect performance. A statistically significant association (P = 0.004 [<0.05]; X(2) = 13.274) was also found between age grades and the influence of repeating an examination on performance. A majority of the respondents across all age grades indicated that repeating students do not always perform better or even pass the examinations. A majority of the respondents across all age grades indicated that those that have completed a degree before medical school do not always perform better in examinations. This finding also had a statistically significant association (P = 0.048 [<0.05]; X(2) = 7.886). CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to coordinate efforts in the management of dental institutions to ensure that adequate attention is given to the dental surgery students at every stage of their training. Creation of dental surgery mentorship programmes may also help in the overall quality of the programme.