Attitudes, Awareness and Barriers to Evidence-Based Dentistry among Graduate and Postgraduate Moroccan Dental Students

El Machrouhi Marouane^1, , Bourzgui Farid², Bousboula Ayoub³, Kissa Jamila¹, Serhier Zineb⁴ and Khlil Nadia¹

¹Department of Periodontics, University Hassan II, Faculty of Dentistry, Casablanca, Morocco

²Department of Orthodontics, University Hassan II, Faculty of Dentistry, Casablanca, Morocco

³Private practice, Casablanca, Morocco

⁴Laboratory of Medical Informatics, University Hassan II, Faculty of Medicine & Pharmacy, Casablanca, Morocco

Cite this paper:
El Machrouhi Marouane, Bourzgui Farid, Bousboula Ayoub, Kissa Jamila, Serhier Zineb and Khlil Nadia. Attitudes, Awareness and Barriers to Evidence-Based Dentistry among Graduate and Postgraduate Moroccan Dental Students. American Journal of Educational Research. 2023; 11(12):817-823. doi: 10.12691/education-11-12-6

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess dental students’ attitudes and knowledge regarding Evidence-based dentistry (EBD), to investigate their perception of EBD, and to identify barriers that compromise its use. A cross-sectional study was conducted by means of a questionnaire among graduate (GS) and postgraduate students (PGS) at the Faculty of Dentistry, in Casablanca, Morocco (FMDC). The questionnaire included questions on demographics data, attitudes, awareness and current practice, resources to guide clinical practice, understanding of terms, clinical situations to assess awareness of EBD, barriers and suggestions for improving the use of EBD. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics version 20. The “Chi-square test” was used to show differences in academic level between GS and PGS. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Out of the 289 questionnaires distributed, we were able to use only 262 questionnaires, resulting in a response rate of 90.65%. The sample consisted of 46.2% 5th year students, 29.8% students in the process of defending their thesis, 16% residents and 8% interns. There was a set of positive indicators towards EBD, but a relatively a fair understanding of evidence-based practice. 59.9% of students indicated they had never heard of EBD. There were no significant differences between GS and PGS. The most reported means of discovering EBD was through internet (57.3% %) or continuing education (26.3%). ambiguity and contradiction found in literature, poor language skills, lack of access to complete published articles, and difficult in assessing the level of evidence were the major barriers identified in this study. To enhance the use of evidence-based dentistry, it is recommended to implement an evidence-based curriculum that motivates students to embrace evidence-based practices in their dental profession.

Keywords:
evidence-based dentistry evidence-based practice dental students Morocco

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