Dental education changed by COVID-19: Student’s perceptions and attitudes

BACKGROUND: Dental students have encountered changes in the teaching format amid the SARS CoV-2 pandemic. This study aims to evaluate the attitudes of dental students of one medical university toward online courses and compare them with those of non-dental students amid the SARS CoV-2 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey with a self-report online questionnaire was conducted at the medical university in May 2020 in Taipei. Students from the School of Dentistry, School of Dental Technology, and School of Oral Hygiene Study were enrolled in our survey. RESULTS: In total, 473 students responded to the survey, 318 (67.2%) of whom were dental students. Overall, 366 (77%) students agreed with the change to online learning. Only 10.4% of students thought that dental professional courses with a laboratory format could be changed to online courses. Dental students were significantly more worried than non-dental students about being infected with COVID-19 and about the COVID-19 pandemic continuing. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, changing to online learning seems to be perceived as feasible by students. However, more discussion about changing dental professional courses with a laboratory format to online courses considering the attitudes from students is needed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-021-02806-5.