Abstract
Objectives: The transition from preclinical to clinical education has been described as one of the most critical stages in undergraduate dental education. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the educational environment perception (EEP) among preclinical students (PS) and clinical students (CS) respectively.
Methodology: The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was administered to dental students at the University of Antofagasta to assess EEP. Descriptive and inferential statistics were then performed between PE and CE using the Student t test and the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: The sample consisted of 62.96% women and 37.04% men, with a mean age of 22.5 years (SD 2.4). 37.04% (n=80) were PS and 62.96% (n=136) were CS. Statistically significant differences were found between the perceptions of preclinical and clinical students in the complete questionnaire score (p=0.001) and in the subscales "learning" (p=0.024), "teachers" (p=0.000), "learning atmosphere" (p=0.000), and "social self-perception" (p=0.008), all of which showed a decrease in perception in CS students. However, "academic self-perception" (p=0.189) was the only one that was not statistically significant and increased in clinical students.
Conclusion: The overall EEP was more positive than negative. However, the score is very close to the threshold for an "environment with many problems" and is also strongly influenced by the EEP values of the CS.
References
McHarg J, Kay EJ. Designing a dental curriculum for the twenty-first century. Br Dent J. 2009;207(10):493-497. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2009.1011
Koole S, Van Den Brulle S, Christiaens V, et al. Competence profiles in undergraduate dental education: a comparison between theory and reality. BMC Oral Health. 2017;17(1):109. doi:10.1186/s12903-017-0403-4
Tackett S, Wright S, Lubin R, et al. International study of medical school learning environments and their relationship with student well-being and empathy. Med Educ. 2017;51(3):280-289. doi:10.1111/medu.13120
Miles S, Swift L, Leinster SJ. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM): a review of its adoption and use. Med Teach. 2012;34(9):e620-e634. doi:10.3109/0142159X.2012.668625
Elani HW, Allison PJ, Kumar RA, et al. A systematic review of stress in dental students. J Dent Educ. 2014;78(2): 226-242. doi:10.1002/j.0022-0337.2014.78.2.tb05673.x
Serrano CM, Botelho MG, Wesselink PR, et al. Challenges in the transition to clinical training in dentistry: An ADEE special interest group initial report. Eur J Dent Educ. 2018;22(3):e451-e457. doi:10.1111/eje.12324
Roff S, McAller S, Harden R, et al. Development and validation of the Dundee Ready Educaction Environment Measure (DREEM). Med Teach. 1997;19(4), 295–299. doi:10.3109/01421599709034208
Riquelme A, Oporto M, Oporto J, et al. Measuring students' perceptions of the educational climate of the new curriculum at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: performance of the Spanish translation of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). Educ Health (Abingdon). 2009;22(1):112.
Edgren G, Haffling AC, Jakobsson U, et al. Comparing the educational environment (as measured by DREEM) at two different stages of curriculum reform. Med Teach. 2010;32(6):e233-e238. doi:10.3109/01421591003706282
Serrano CM, Lagerweij MD, de Boer IR, et al. Students' learning environment perception and the transition to clinical training in dentistry. Eur J Dent Educ. 2021;25(4):829-836. doi:10.1111/eje.12662
Serrano C. Diagnóstico de clima educacional, carrera de Odontología, Universidad de Concepción. Rev Educ Cienc Salud. 2012; 9(1): 43-49
Tisi-Lanchares JP, Barrios-Piñeiro L, Henríquez-Gutiérrez I, et al. The learning environment at a public university in Northern Chile: How is dental education perceived by students? Rev Fac Odontol Univ Antioq. 2017;29(1):36-50. doi:10.17533/udea.rfo.v29n1a2
Rodriguez-Hopp M, González S, Molina C, et al. Análisis del ambiente educacional en escuela de odontología chilena. Rev clin Periodoncia Implantol Rehabil Oral. 2016;9(2):153-162.
Palomer L, Jana MP, Zuzulich S. et al. Medición del clima educativo y factores que influyen en su resultado. Estudio en una carrera de odontología chilena. FEM. 2018;21(2): 87-96. doi:10.33588/fem.212.937.
Ortega B, Javiera, Pérez V. et al. Estructura factorial de la escala DREEM en estudiantes de medicina chilenos. Rev méd Chile. 2015:143(5), 651-657. doi: 10.4067/S0034-98872015000500013
Gil YM, Hong JS, Ban JL, et al. Dental students' perception of their educational environment in relation to their satisfaction with dentistry major: a cross-sectional study BMC Med Educ. 2023;23(1):508. doi:10.1186/s12909-023-04485-w
Alfakhry G, Mustafa K, AlMukhallalati A, et al. Evaluation of the Undergraduate Learning Environment at Dental Schools in Syria. Int Dent J. 2023;73(5):659-666. doi:10.1016/j.identj.2022.12.001
Serrano CM, Lagerweij MD, de Boer IR, et al. Students' learning environment perception and the transition to clinical training in dentistry. Eur J Dent Educ. 2021;25(4):829-836. doi:10.1111/eje.12662
Botelho M, Gao X, Bhuyan SY. An analysis of clinical transition stresses experienced by dental students: A qualitative methods approach. Eur J Dent Educ. 2018;22(3):e564-e572. doi:10.1111/eje.12353
Frese C, Wolff D, Saure D, et al. Psychosocial impact, perceived stress and learning effect in undergraduate dental students during transition from pre-clinical to clinical education. Eur J Dent Educ. 2018;22(3):e555-e563. doi:10.1111/eje.12352
Guthardt L, Niedworok C, Muth T, et al. Stress, psychosocial resources and possible interventions: a qualitative study among dental students. BMC Med Educ. 2024;24(1):1479. doi:10.1186/s12909-024-06472-1
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nicolás Ferrer-Valdivia, Víctor Herrera-Barraza, Constanza Garrido-Urrutia