Comparative evaluation of operative dentistry and endodontics education by third-year dental students in 2023 and 2025: a repeated cross-sectional study

This study compared third-year dental students’ evaluations of operative dentistry and endodontics education in 2023 and 2025 in Bulgarian- and English-language programmes. A repeated cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted at the Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University – Sofia. Participation was voluntary. The questionnaire did not request direct personal identifiers, and email-address collection was disabled. The samples comprised 47 Bulgarian-language and 21 English-language students in 2023 and 55 and 23 students, respectively, in 2025. Eleven identically worded items were analysed. Five-category ordinal ratings were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test, and dichotomous responses using Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. Holm adjustment was applied to 22 comparisons, with adjusted p < 0.05 denoting statistical significance. Students’ positive ratings regarding the material and technical facilities increased from 34.0% to 80.0% among Bulgarian-language students (Holm-adjusted p < 0.001; rank-biserial correlation = 0.660) and from 23.8% to 78.3% among English-language students (Holm-adjusted p = 0.002; rank-biserial correlation = 0.654). Similarly, students’ positive ratings regarding the provision of materials and instruments increased from 31.9% to 69.1% (Holm-adjusted p < 0.001; rank-biserial correlation = 0.455) in the Bulgarian-language programme and from 19.0% to 65.2% (Holm-adjusted p = 0.006; rank-biserial correlation = 0.617) in the English-language programme. No other differences in student evaluations remained statistically significant after adjustment. Students in both language programmes rated the material and technical conditions significantly more favourably in 2025 than in 2023. These findings may inform continued institutional monitoring of material provision and other components of the educational process.