Diş Hekimliği Öğrencileri- Hazırbulunuşluk Değerlendirme Ölçeğinin (DU-PAS) Türkçe Validasyonu ve Entegre Klinik Uygulamalarının Son Sınıf Diş Hekimliği Öğrencilerinin Bilgi ve Deneyim Düzeylerine Etkisinin DU-PAS Ölçeği ile Değerlendirilmesi

Objectives: The Dental Undergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale (DU-PAS) is a 50-item, two-part tool designed to assess final-year dental students’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills. This study aimed to validate the Turkish version of DU-PAS and evaluate the impact of traditional versus integrated clinical education on students’ knowledge, experience, and self-confidence.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the Turkish adaptation and validation of DU-PAS were completed by administering the scale to 272 final-year dental students via Google Forms. In the second phase, 53 students from Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Dentistry completed DU-PAS before and after their integrated clinical internship. Additionally, the Akın Self-Confidence Scale was administered before the internship, and the data were analyzed in relation to DU-PAS scores. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and item-total correlation coefficients. Paired t-tests were used to compare DU-PAS scores before and after the internship.Results: Items with factor loading differences below 0.1 or loading on multiple factors were excluded from the scale. Specifically, items 6, 7, 12, 17, 18, 26, 29, 31, 46, and 50 were removed. Items 13 and 15 were excluded as they formed a single-item factor. Items 27 and 28 were also removed due to low internal consistency. After item removal, the final validated version consisted of 35 items. A positive correlation was found between students’ DU-PAS and self-confidence scores. Conclusions: The Turkish version of the Dental Undergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale was validated following item removal. The original 50-item scale was reduced to 35 items. It was observed that the self-confidence levels of final-year dental students were lower before the integrated internship compared to after its completion. The findings suggest that the integrated clinical internship positively contributed to students’ self-confidence.