Undergraduate Dental Students’ Acceptance of Treatment by Dental Student Peers: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: To enumerate students who accepted/would accept treatment by dental student peers (DSP), describe characteristics of DSP and explore factors associated with determining DSP treatment. METHODS: A 17-item online survey was distributed to students of all levels (383) at Taibah University Dental College and Hospital during the academic year 2019–2020. The survey comprised three sections: section one asked questions about the students’ demographics and socioeconomics (family income), section two focused on the acceptance of treatment by DSP, characteristics of DSP, and section three asked about factors influencing acceptance of treatment by DSP. The collected data underwent descriptive, bivariate and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 383 students, 222 (58%) completed the survey; 72 (32%) were at an intern level and 150 (68%) at other levels. Those who had accepted/would accept treatment by DSP comprised 88% of respondents. Performance (85.4%) and quality of treatment (85.5%) were important characteristics of DSP. The multivariable analysis revealed that increase in score rates of confidence in DSP was significantly associated with acceptance of treatment, odds ratio (OR)=1.89, 95% CI: (1.48–2.43), p<0.001. Similarly, students who had a better understanding of patients’ management were more likely to accept treatment by DSP (OR=2.70, 95% CI: 1.05–6.96, p=0.039). CONCLUSION: A high percentage of students had accepted/would accept treatment by DSP. These findings also suggest that students who have confidence in DSP and those who understand patient management would accept oral health care by DSP.