Dental education in Ukraine via the eyes of employers through the prism of their personal experience: present and prospects

Background. The education system in Ukraine is transparent; when forming the principles of its implementation, feedback from all participants in the educational process is taken into account. The latter, with their vision and thoughts, can influence and initiate changes in the educational process if necessary. The aim of the conducted research is to monitor views on the quality of education, the level of acquired knowledge and practical skills of dentists in institutions of higher education through the prism of their personal experience. Materials and methods. 2216 respondents participated in the study, filling out a questionnaire at scientific and practical events of professional schools for dentists in online mode in March 2023. The obtained data were processed using the StatSoft Inc. license program. Analytical research method and structural-logical analysis were applied. Results. Based on the results of monitoring the data regarding the quality of dentists’ training, it has been determined that level of training corresponds to “high” in ten institutions. Conclusions. The most sought-after professional competence of a dentist after obtaining a diploma is general skills in the treatment of basic dental diseases. The most sought-after professional qualities are the desire and implementation of continuous professional development and self-improvement, the ability to recognize professional mistakes, work in a team, confidence and ambitiousness. Basic skills are the ability to treat the main dental diseases, which creates the prerequisites for continuous professional development.