Dental students’ perceptions of preclinical and clinical skills training: a comparison between tuition-free and tuition-based schools

There is limited evidence regarding dental students’ perceptions of preclinical and clinical skills training in schools with different educational structures. This study aimed to assess and compare dental students’ perceptions of preclinical and clinical skills training at tuition-free and tuition-based schools affiliated with Guilan University of Medical Sciences. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 195 undergraduate dental students engaged in the preclinical and clinical stages of training at Rasht tuition-free and Anzali tuition-based dental schools affiliated to Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2025. Sampling was done by census method. The questionnaire included demographic information and 23 assessment items (17 clinical questions and 6 preclinical questions). The data were statistically analyzed at 0.05 significance level. The perceived quality of preclinical training was generally good, while clinical training was perceived as moderate. There was no significant difference in students’ perceptions of preclinical training between the two dental schools (p = 0.632). However, students’ perceived quality of clinical training was significantly higher in the tuition-based school compared with the tuition-free school (p < 0.001). The effect of gender on the perceived quality of training was significant only in the preclinical level of the tuition-free school (higher mean in females; p = 0.034). Given the differences observed in students’ perspectives, it appears necessary to review the educational methods, improve infrastructure, and standardize the educational process to achieve uniformly optimal quality.