Medical Ethics Knowledge and Attitude Among Dental Students from Two Universities in The Middle East

Dentists are obligated to provide patients with ethical and harmless treatment.

This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of medical ethics among dental students in two dental faculties in the Middle East.

A cross-sectional study using a validated online self-administrated questionnaire was completed by dental students who started clinical training at Mansoura University, Egypt, and from Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for the statistical analysis.

Participants were 649 dental students. About 77% of Mansoura’s students were aware of the Hippocratic Oath compared to 89.6% of UQU students (p=0.000). No significant difference was found between the two faculties in the presence of ethical topics in their curriculum and the mode of teaching. About 67% of respondents reported obtaining written consent from UQU patients compared to only 10.5% of Mansoura’s patients. Nearly 86.3% and 63.3% of dental students at Mansoura and UQU, respectively, believed that they knew the best, irrespective of the patients’ opinion. In case of any wrongdoing during treatment, 88.7% of Mansoura’s and 93.9% of UQU students agreed to inform the patients. Regarding patient autonomy, only 51.2% and 65.3% of dental students at Mansoura and UQU, respectively, respected the patient’s wishes during treatment., The majority of students from both faculties had less knowledge regarding services and duties related to the ethical committee.

Gaps in knowledge, attitude and practices of medical ethics were found among dental students of the two faculties, especially among Mansoura’s students. Attention should be paid to improving the present situation.