Attitudes of Faculty Members and Students of the School of Dentistry toward Legal and Ethical Issues in Virtual Medical Education at Guilan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Considering the expansion of virtual education in dentistry and its associated challenges, addressing legal and ethical issues is essential for improving educational quality and maintaining professional standards. The present study aimed to assess the attitudes of faculty members and students regarding the legal and ethical aspects of virtual medical education. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry, Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2022. A total of 56 faculty members and 167 students participated in this study were selected by stratified random sampling method. Initially, demographic information was recorded, followed by the completion of the Ethical Checklist Questionnaire, which consisted of 26 five-point Likert scale items. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 26) at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Faculty members had significantly more positive attitudes compared to students (P=0.016), and faculty members aged above 39 years (P=0.012) had more positive attitudes compared to those below 39 years, while this difference was not significant among students. In addition, faculty members with less than two years of teaching experience had significantly more negative attitudes than those with more than 10 years of teaching experience (P=0.012). Gender and marital status in both faculty members and students, as well as student age and academic semester, did not have a significant impact on their attitudes (P >0.05). Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, faculty members had a more positive attitude than students regarding the legal and ethical aspects of virtual education. This difference was more evident among older faculty members with more teaching experience. It is recommended that legal and ethical principles of virtual education be incorporated practically and systematically into educational programs.