Exploring the Association between Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance and Stress Factors among Dental Students: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have been conducted to explicate the scope of emotional intelligence in educational success and coping with stress in different academic sectors, but very few have been conducted with dental students. This scoping review aimed to ascertain the role of emotional intelligence in academic performance and stress factors among dental students. METHODS: All publications in the English language between 2001 and 2020 were retrieved employing MeSh keywords. Academic resources such as Pubmed, Pubmed Central, EMBASE, Web of Science, EBSCO-Host, Cochrane, PROSPERO, and ARU E-library were comprehensively searched for empirical research. One thousand, three hundred and fifty-nine papers were screened according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards for inclusion and exclusion criteria. These publications were then evaluated further by deleting duplicates, examining full-text articles, and conducting an abstract assessment. This review included a critical appraisal of 24 articles. RESULTS: The narrative analysis method was applied to evaluate the data retrieved from publications regarding EI, academic performance, and stress factors. The review found that EI had a greater impact on the educational success of dental students throughout their clinical years. Moreover, EI may be a key tool in coping with stress and negative emotions. Higher EI scores were shown to be associated with better performance in organizational and leadership abilities, which are important for career advancement. CONCLUSION: The review suggested including EI training in the dental curriculum. Furthermore, EI should be used as a selection criterion for admission to dental education.

Inclusion of gerodontology in dental curriculum: An urgent case for India.

The proportion of older adults is on the rise. Management of dental problems in this group is different from the general population, and hence requires special training. Gerodontology is yet to find its place in the Indian dental curriculum. A lack of training would result in inadequate care delivery. In this article, we share our views on the need for inclusion of the subject, potential challenges, and a guide for incorporation of gerodontology in undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum in the Indian dental institutes. We propose a framework based on the salient features of Kern's 6-step approach for curriculum development and Kotter's 8-step change management model. Some features are common to both the models. A combination of these models includes the following salient features: Problem identification and general needs assessment, beginning with a sense of urgency and targeted needs assessment, communication of the vision for change, working in guided coalitions and defining clear goals and objectives, adopting the relevant educational strategies, implementation strategies to enable change and generating short-term wins, evaluating the effectiveness of the curricular reform and sustaining and anchoring the change. The proposed framework may also be useful for countries where gerodontology is yet to be implemented.

Relationship between the sense of coherence, self-directed learning readiness, and academic performance in Malaysian undergraduate dental students.

BACKGROUND: Stress and low psychological well-being among students in higher education impact their academic performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between SOC, SDLR, and academic performance in year 3, 4, and 5 undergraduate dental students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and ten students completed a validated questionnaire on SOC and SDLR. The percentage of marks obtained by these students in their year-end examination was used as their academic performance. The SOC scores were further divided into three hierarchical clusters using cluster analysis. The data were analyzed to determine the difference in the SDLR scores and academic performance among the three clusters. Furthermore, the relationship between SOC scores, SDLR scores, and academic performance was assessed. RESULTS: The SDLR scores significantly increased from the low SOC cluster to the high SOC cluster (P = 0.026). However, there was no significant change in academic performance. A positive relationship was found between the SOC and the academic performance (R = +0.025; P > 0.05). The SDLR had a significant positive relationship with both SOC and academic performance (R = +0.27; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Although SOC may not have a direct influence on academic performance, SDLR can play an intermediary role. Early identification and timely intervention in students with a weak SOC and low SDLR can have a beneficial influence on their academic life.