EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ATTITUDES AND KNOWLEDGE OF UNDER GRADUATION STUDENTS AFTER THE APPLICATION OF AN ONLINE EDUCATIONAL MODULE: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN DENTISTRY

Abstract

Objective: To identify the effectiveness in the knowledge and attitudes of dental students after the application of an Online Educational Module: Care of the Environment in the Dental field. Materials and Method: the design was prospective, longitudinal, analytical, and quasiexperimental. The sample was census type, consisting of 99 students from the third semester, 61 students from the fifth semester, and 48 students from the ninth semester. An educational video on environmental care was prepared with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of the Environment, authorities of the faculty and the university of social responsibility. Likewise, a questionnaire was developed and validated to measure attitudes and knowledge about caring for the environment in the dental field. Sociodemographic variables will also be considered. The instrument was applied before and after the educational program. Results: in the pre-application of the educational program, attitudes had an average score of 17.30 and knowledge had an average score of 4.33. When comparing the scores, in the pre-application, between men and women for attitudes, they were statistically significant (p=0.0017), as for the semester, in attitudes (p=0.021) and knowledge (p=0.0102), significant differences were found. When comparing the attitude scores in the post-application increased, and no differences were observed according to gender or semester. However, significant differences in knowledge were observed depending on the semester (p=0.0001). Conclusion: The Online Educational Program ‘Environmental Care in the Dental field’ was effective in improving attitudes and knowledge according to pre- and post-application comparisons.