Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes toward learning communication skills among dental students as an indication for teaching the effectiveness of communication skills training for the first time.
Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 244 dental students in the 4th and 5th year at the Faculty of Dentistry in Cairo University in Egypt using the validated Dental Communication Skills Attitude Scale. The scale is divided into positive attitude scale (PAS) and negative attitude scores (NAS) and mean scores were calculated for each scale as well as for the individual questions. A comparison of the scores was made for gender, academic year, and last year's performance.
Results: The mean age of participants was 22 ± 1.1 years with a range from 20-25 years. 70% of the participants were females and only 30% were males. 45% of the participants were fourth-year students and 55% were fifth-year students. Mean PAS and NAS were 51.43 ± 9.55 and 32.52 ± 5.8 respectively. Statistical analysis by demographic variables suggested that there were no differences based on gender or study year in attitudes toward learning communication skills. However, there was a difference based on the last academic year's grades.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that dental students have favorable attitudes towards learning communication skills and this positive attitude remains high until the fifth grade. It is also concluded that the students with high grades may have a lower positive attitude toward learning communication skills.