Self-assessment of professional confidence among dental students in the era of modern digital technologies: A cross-sectional study

Background: Digital transformation in dental practice requires reevaluating dental students’ preparedness and adaptability to new technologies. The aim of this descriptive cross-sectional study aims to analyze dental students' attitudes toward independent diagnostic and clinical decision-making, their self-assessments of educational preparation and professional confidence, their readiness to safely integrate digital systems into clinical practice, and their vision on teledentistry.

Methods: A structured, expert-validated questionnaire was distributed electronically in a closed group to fourth- and fifth-year dental students at the Faculty of Dental Medicine. A total of 192 students participated voluntarily and anonymously. The survey contains questions about students' self-assessment of their academic preparation, the need for specialization, their attitudes towards digital diagnostics, and their readiness for teledentistry.

Conclusion: The results show that most dental students do not have strong confidence in their theoretical training. Their opinions on the need for specialization are heterogeneous. Among students, a more cautious attitude towards teledentistry prevails.