Dental students and the Endodontic competencies acquired during undergraduate Dental education

Abstract

There is little evidence about undergraduate students’ views on their curriculum and competency development in Endodontics. This study assessed Brazilian senior dental students’ exposure to Endodontics, perceived importance, self-reported competence, and confidence in procedures. This cross-sectional study included final-year dental students from all Brazilian regions. Researchers collected data using an online questionnaire based on a consensus matrix. The questionnaire covered socio-demographics, endodontic content exposure, topic importance, self-reported competence (per European Society of Endodontology guidelines), clinical experience, and treatment confidence. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and Spearman correlations (α = 5%). Students rated diagnostic and operative procedures as important or very important. Self-reported competence varied widely, from 10.6% to 66.7%. Participants felt most competent in basic procedures, such as rubber dam placement and radiographic working length determination, and least competent in advanced areas, such as clinical operative microscopy and periodontal surgery. Confidence was lowest for elective treatments involving multi-rooted teeth and moderately correlated with the number of treatments performed. Brazilian senior dental students report broad exposure to endodontics, but their perceived competence and confidence remain inconsistent, particularly for complex procedures. These findings suggest a need for more structured clinical experience and targeted curricular improvements.