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June 17, 2026Open Access

Evaluation of communication competence among undergraduate dental students in the pediatric dentistry clinic using 360-degree feedback: a mixed-methods study

Key Points

The study aimed to assess communication competence among undergraduate dental students in a pediatric clinic.
Cross-sectional mixed-methods design with 45 fifth-year dental students enrolled.
Utilized a 10-item checklist for multi-source assessments: self, peer, expert, and parent evaluations.
Conducted four focus groups to gather qualitative insights on students' perceptions and challenges.
Significant underestimation of self-evaluations compared to parent evaluations for treatment explanation (p = 0.032).
Poor to moderate agreement across evaluators, indicating inconsistencies in evaluations.
Female students showed stronger rapport-building skills and self-awareness compared to male students.

Abstract

In the field of dentistry, the dentist-patient relationship plays a pivotal role in treatment outcomes. Effective communication enhances patient satisfaction, ensures full understanding of treatment options, decreases patient anxiety, and improves adherence to dental instructions. The present study aimed to evaluate communication competence among fifth-year undergraduate dental students in the Pediatric Dentistry clinic at Gulf Medical University using a 360° evaluation approach. This cross-sectional mixed-methods study enrolled 45 fifth-year dental students at Gulf Medical University, United Arab Emirates. A 10-item checklist assessed communication skills from four perspectives: self-assessment, peer evaluation, expert observation, and parent evaluation. The checklist underwent expert review by pediatric dentists and medical education professors to support content validity. Four focus group discussions (24 students) explored in-depth insights into dental students’ perceptions, level of self-awareness, and the challenges they encounter in developing communication competencies. Quantitative data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, and Spearman’s correlation. Qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Operator self-evaluations were significantly underestimated compared to parent evaluations (treatment explanation: p = 0.032; cooperation: p = 0.007; post-operative instructions: p = 0.029) and peer evaluations ( p = 0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed between self-evaluations and expert evaluations. Generally, agreement and reliability across evaluators were poor to moderate, raising concerns regarding the consistency and validity of single-source evaluations. Focus groups identified key challenges including managing child anxiety, parental interference, language barriers, and emotional fatigue. Female students demonstrated greater rapport-building skills and self-awareness. This study underscores the value of multi-source feedback in capturing the multifaceted nature of communication competence more comprehensively than single-source assessment. The findings provide a foundation for curriculum enhancements and point toward the need for longitudinal and multi-institutional research to better prepare students for patient-centered care.

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