Professionalism practiced by dental students – Patient's perspective: A questionnaire-based survey

The aim of this study is to evaluate a patient's perspective regarding professionalism practiced by dental students in a university hospital setup by survey questionnaire. A questionnaire was formulated and was distributed among patients who visited for their treatment to the outpatient department of the hospital in a university setting. The study group consisted of adult individuals who attended the outpatient Department of Prosthodontics from June 2020 to April 2021. Three hundred questionnaire forms were distributed and 152 were received back; Chi-square test and frequency analysis were the statistical tests used to explore the relationship between two variables. Institutional clearance was taken from the institute (certificate No.IHEC/SDC/PROSTHO/21/043). There is more prevalence of males 52.6% compared to females 47.4%. Age group 31–40 years comprises the maximum number of patients. 52.6% of patients had their monthly income between 10,000 and 30,000 rupees. 84.2% of patients answered name badge to be desirable, 57.9% told surgical scrubs to be desirable, and 47.4% of patients answered cologne to be desirable. 68.4% of patients were neutral to clogs, 84.2% of patients were neutral toward shoes. All the patients agreed that the behavior and communication skills showed a good competence level of the students. Overall, there was a difference but there was no significance among different variables. The patient considers the dentist's altruistic behavior and communication skills to be more crucial; these two factors are regarded as the foundation for a strong patient–dentist professional relationship. For effective patient-centered service, both the dentist and the patient must agree on these ideals. Medical/dental educators must make significant efforts to reflect the dynamic nature of professions in dental education.