Understanding the Experiences of Dental Interns in Internship Programs in the United Arab Emirates: A Comprehensive Cross-Sectional Study

Background/purpose Dental internship training is crucial for the professional development of dental graduates in preparation for independent practice. In the United Arab Emirates, dental internship programs have been established for many years; however, outcome reports from the interns’ perspectives are still lacking. The aim of this study, therefore, was to evaluate interns’ perceptions and experiences with dental internship programs in the United Arab Emirates. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on dental interns enrolled in internship programs in the year 2020/2021. Participants rated their experience using a validated questionnaire covering nine clinical domains with a 4-point Likert scale and responded to open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, Windows version 28, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) while textual data were analyzed using the Framework Analysis approach. An independent t -test was employed to compare male and female participants in each survey domain. Results Two hundred and fifty-five interns responded (90 males, 165 females; response rate: 80.6%). The majority of participants rated their experience “well” or “very well”; however, “poor” or “very poor” performance in surgical periodontics (49%), trauma management, tissue biopsy (50%), and restoration of dental implants (60%) were reported. No gender differences were observed across the different domains. Open textual responses focused on the clinical aspects of the programs with demands for more complex and challenging cases. Conclusion The outcomes of dental internship programs in the United Arab Emirates were overall positive, reflecting a very adequate preparedness for practice. Areas of weakness in dental implant restoration, esthetic and digital dentistry, and surgical periodontics were reported with a need for increasing the scholarly activity component.