Self-Reported Levels of Competence and Consistency in Removable Partial Denture Design Among Nigerian Clinical Dental Students and Recent Graduates: An Exploratory Survey.

Background: Denture designs form an important component in both undergraduate and postgraduate examinations in Nigeria. It is a means of communication between the dentists and technologists. This study assessed self-reported levels of competence and consistency in removable partial denture design among clinical dental students and recent graduates. It also sought to determine the level of knowledge about denture design. Methodology: The study was an online semi-structured questionnaire survey of 170 clinical dental students and dental house officers in ten dental schools in Nigeria. Data on participants' technical knowledge of denture design were retrieved on a five-point Likert scale. Self-perceived opinions on competence at denture designing were scored as good, fair, and poor. Data were summarized as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square was used to determine associations. The strengths of associations were tested by binary logistic regression. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: A total of 107 students (male: female = 59:48) and 63 house officers (male: female = 40: 23) participated in the study. The mean age of the students was 26±1,8 years, while the house officers were on average 28.1±2.1 years old. More house officers (84.1%) self-reported competence, and (74.9%) consistency in denture design drawing. There was a strong association between participants' knowledge and consistency in denture design drawing. Participants' competence and consistency were not associated with age or gender. Conclusion: The majority of the respondents self-reported competence and consistency, and demonstrated good levels of knowledge in partial denture design.