PURPOSE: A questionnaire-based study was conducted to understand the pros and cons of online education among undergraduate dental students across India. The study was also proposed to assess the mental and physical well-being of the students amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
METHODS: A total of 533 undergraduate dental students across India participated in a cross-sectional study by means of virtual survey. A self-designed questionnaire was created using google forms. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions and was divided into two parts, first, regarding the academic outcome of online dental education and second, psychological and physical well-being of the students in reference to online dental education. A descriptive statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS statistics software.
RESULTS: In the present study, 91.6% students reported that the format of dental education was shifted to online lectures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 86.4% students suggested that they preferred offline lectures rather than online lectures. Psychological and physical well-being were affected in both male and female students; however, male students were affected more significantly than females.
CONCLUSION: The study concluded that the education of dental students was adversely affected as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. The physical and psychological well-being of the students has also been affected, with males being affected in a higher proportion. The study concluded that the quality of online education should be enhanced and must be student centred to meet their education requirements. Also, there is a need of regular counselling and other measures to alleviate the students from the psychological stresses.
