Impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on the academic training and psychosocial well‑being of undergraduate dental students in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Most educational institutions in Nigeria were shut down for a long while at the onset of the COVID‑19 pandemic as a preventive measure, and this affected dental students’ academic and clinical training. Aim: To determine the influence of the pandemic on the academic, clinical training, and psychosocial well‑being of dental students in Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: This cross‑sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate dental students in clinical years in Nigerian dental schools. Participants received the questionnaire through an online platform, it had four sections; socio‑demographics, impact on academic training, psychosocial well‑being, and an open‑ended segment for participants’ suggestions to challenges. A mixed method was utilized to analyze the data. The statistical significance level was P < 0.05. Results: One hundred two dental students from nine dental schools participated, with a mean age of 25.3 ± 2.4 years. There were 56 (54.9%) males. Most students, 80 (78.4%) reported that their stay‑at‑home had not been rewarding academically. The majority, 90 (88.2%) were worried about contracting COVID‑19 on school resumption. Participants’ psychosocial well‑being had significant associations with gender (P = 0.001) and self‑directed learning during their stay‑at‑home (P = 0.001). More female students, 33 (71.7%) were severely worried compared to males 20 (35.7%). Their major suggestions were to commence online teaching and examinations (40.1%) and be provided with adequate personal protective equipment (18.6%). Conclusion: Most undergraduate students in Nigeria were anxious about COVID‑19, and females were more affected. This negatively impacted their academic and clinical training. This underscores the importance of adequate psychological support for undergraduate dental students by school authorities.