Critical Thinking Skills of a Group of Iranian Dental Students

Background and Aim: This study aimed to assess the critical thinking skills (CTS) of a group of Iranian dental students.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 355 dental students of the Faculty of Dentistry, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University in the clinical training period (academic years 3-6) in 2022-2023.The CTS of students were evaluated by using the valid and reliable Persian version of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST).Correlations between the CTS total and domain scores with demographic variables were analyzed by the multiple linear regression and Pearson's correlation tests (alpha=0.05).Results: A total of 260 questionnaires were filled out and returned, yielding a response rate of 73.2%.The mean age of the participants was 23.902.89years.There were 60.8% females and 39.2% males.Of all, 74.2% were single, and 25.8% were married.Also, 34.2% had an extracurricular clinical dental practice.The mean total CTS score was 10.662.83out of 34, which had a significant correlation with the academic level (P=0.005),such that the mean CTS score was significantly higher in senior dental students.The mean CTS score had no significant correlation with age, gender, marital status, or extracurricular clinical practice (P>0.05). Conclusion:The mean CTS score of dental students of the Faculty of Dentistry, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University was lower than the standard average, highlighting the need for educational interventions to improve it.