Knowledge, attitude, practice and barriers towards research among dental undergraduates: A questionnaire based survey

Abstract

Research in the field of medicine heightens the extent of understanding and also inculcates evidence-based practice and further enhances clinical skills. The impact of research ranges from prevention to newer and alternative treatment modalities. However undergraduate student research experience is plagued by a number of obstacles. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, practice, and the barriers towards research among dental undergraduate students. An online questionnaire consisting of 16 questions which included demographic details, and questions regarding their knowledge and perception of barriers towards research. The study was conducted among undergraduate students of a private dental institute. Data was collected from filled questionnaires and analysed using SPSS software. A total of 169 undergraduate dental students participated in the online survey. A majority of students (78.3%) expressed a positive attitude towards willingness to conduct research. Barriers for research were lack of time being overburdened with education/ exams (30.7%), lack of allocated research time (25.5%), difficulty in following up study subjects (22.6%), inadequate financial support (21.9%%) and difficulty in obtaining approval (22.6%). Only 9.4% of the study population chose lack of interest as a barrier towards conducting research. Majority of the participants had sufficient knowledge regarding research and expressed a positive attitude toward participation in research activity. Major barriers were lack of time, difficulty in patient follow-up and inadequate funds.