Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Barriers Towards Research Among Dental Undergraduates: A Questionnaire Based Survey

Abstract

Research in the field of medicine heightens the extent of understanding and also inculcates evidence-based
practice and further enhances clinical skills. The impact of research ranges from prevention to newer and
alternative treatment modalities. However undergraduate student research experience is plagued by a number
of obstacles. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, practice, and the barriers towards research
among dental undergraduate students. An online questionnaire consisting of 16 questions which included
demographic details, and questions regarding their knowledge and perception of barriers towards research.
The study was conducted among undergraduate students of a private dental institute. Data was collected
from filled questionnaires and analysed using SPSS software. A total of 169 undergraduate dental students
participated in the online survey. A majority of students (78.3%) expressed a positive attitude towards
willingness to conduct research. Barriers for research were lack of time being overburdened with education/
exams (30.7%), lack of allocated research time (25.5%), difficulty in following up study subjects (22.6%),
inadequate financial support (21.9%%) and difficulty in obtaining approval (22.6%). Only 9.4% of the study
population chose lack of interest as a barrier towards conducting research. Majority of the participants had
sufficient knowledge regarding research and expressed a positive attitude toward participation in research
activity. Major barriers were lack of time, difficulty in patient follow-up and inadequate funds.