Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr 10:16:1468949.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1468949. eCollection 2025.

Virtual education and clinical practices in final-year Peruvian dentistry students during COVID-19 pandemic

Fiorella Del Pilar Cabrera-Tasayco  1 , Martín Andrés Chávez-Méndez  1   2 , Javier Flores-Fraile  2 , Claudio Peña-Soto  1 , Myriam Angélica De la Garza-Ramos  1   3 , Guillermo Cano-Verdugo  1   3
Affiliations

Virtual education and clinical practices in final-year Peruvian dentistry students during COVID-19 pandemic

Fiorella Del Pilar Cabrera-Tasayco et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered various sectors, with education being one of the most impacted. In Peru, the shift from in-person to virtual education was imperative due to the pandemic's constraints. This study investigates the perception of virtual education and clinical practice among final-year dentistry students at a Peruvian institution during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Methods: Utilizing a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 97 students via a survey assessing their experiences and expectations related to virtual learning and clinical skills. Instruments with dichotomous response scales measured students' experiences with virtual education and their expectations regarding clinical practice.

Results: Results indicated that most students reported a moderate experience with virtual education, with similar moderate expectations for clinical practice. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences among experience levels and practice expectations, highlighting a disparity between students' perceived skills and their confidence in applying these skills (p < 0.001).

Discussion: The study's findings suggest that while virtual education has provided continuity, there remains considerable room for improvement in both the quality of online instruction and practical training. Enhancements in virtual teaching methods and additional support for clinical practice could better meet the needs of dental students. This study emphasizes the importance of ongoing evaluation and adaptation of virtual education strategies to address the evolving challenges and improve educational outcomes for future dental professionals.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Peru; clinical competence; dental; education; online; students.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graphical representation of main results. (a) Experiences in virtual education by experience level, (b) Practice expectations in virtual education by experience level.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Abbasi S., Ayoob T., Malik A., Memon S. I. (2020). Perceptions of students regarding E-learning during Covid-19 at a private medical college. Pak. J. Med. Sci. 36, S57–S61. doi: 10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2766, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Almhdawi K. A., Alazrai A., Obeidat D., Altarifi A. A., Oteir A. O., Aljammal A. H., et al. . (2021). Healthcare students’ mental and physical well-being during the COVID-19 lockdown and distance learning. Work (Reading, Mass.) 70, 3–10. doi: 10.3233/WOR-205309 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Antoniadou M., Rahiotis C., Kakaboura A. (2022). Sustainable Distance Online Educational Process for Dental Students during COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19:9470. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159470 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bączek M., Zagańczyk-Bączek M., Szpringer M., Jaroszyńska A., Wożakowska-Kapłon B. (2021). Students’ perception of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey study of polish medical students. Medicine (Baltimore) 100:e24821. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000024821, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Badovinac A., Par M., Plančak L., Balić M. D., Vražić D., Božić D., et al. . (2021). The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education: An Online Survey of Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes. Dentistry journal 9:116. doi: 10.3390/dj9100116 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources