Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on learning of the undergraduate and postgraduate dental students

Background: More than 95% of all countries worldwide reported infections with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 described as coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, most countries put physical distancing measures (e.g., closing of public, cultural, and educational institutions) in place to decelerate the infection rate. Consequently, dental education at universities worldwide is strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study was done to know the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on dental education. Materials and Methods: A self-designed, structured, online questionnaire of 22 close-ended questions was generated and distributed among the undergraduates and postgraduate dental students in Bangalore city. A total of 450 forms were sent through online by messages, WhatsApp, and emails. Online consent was obtained before participation in the study and it was mandatory to answer all questions. Data obtained were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics, and significant proportions were available. The level of significance was considered as P ≤≤≤ 5. Results: The study showed that in this pandemic, 73.4% of the students feel e-learning as a boon for learning dental students, but 87.1% of students feel classroom lectures are more interactive compared to online lectures. About 12.4% of the students felt difficult to access the Internet for online classes, whereas 87.6% of students had access. Students feel understanding clinical procedures is difficult through e-learning; hence, 83.6% of students search web for better understanding. Almost 92.5% of the students feel they are lacking clinical experience due to online classes. Conclusion: COVID-19 has definitely affected the world; similarly, it has affected the clinical practice of dental students in dental schools. As education continues through e-learning, still, few students are deprived of education due to access to the Internet.