The Perception of Undergraduate Dental Students Toward a Clinical Learning Environment at School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Fiji National University, Fiji

BACKGROUND: The clinical learning environment is one of the key factors for undergraduate dental students to excel in their academic career. There has been no previous study in Fiji regarding dental students’ perception of their learning environment. AIM: This study aimed at investigating the perception of undergraduate dental students toward the clinical learning environment at the School of Dentistry and Oral Health (SDOH), Fiji. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional prospective study conducted among 157 undergraduate dental students, all of whom were selected from three undergraduate dental programs. The modified 24-item Dental Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (DECLEI) was used to assess students’ perceptions. The mean DECLEI score was interpreted as follows: ≤19.9 is very poor perception, 20–39.9 is poor perception, 40–59.9 is moderate perception, 60–79.9 is good perception, and >80 is excellent perception toward the clinical learning environment. A correlation test was used to examine the relationship between independent variables and DECLEI scores. P < 0.05 was considered as level of significance. RESULTS: The response rate was 82.8%. Majority of the participants (76.9%) were in the age range of 20–29 years, were females (72.3%), and were Fijians of Indian descent (75.4%). The mean DECLEI score was 70.83 ± 9.11 which could be interpreted as a good perception toward the clinical learning environment. Age and gender had a statistically significant negative correlation with DECLEI scores (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The dental clinical learning environment at SDOH can be perceived as “good”; however, issues related to patients’ missing appointment were highlighted.