Attitude and Experiences of Undergraduate Dental Students and Interns Towards Research

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the perception of students and interns toward research. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in January 2014. Participants of the study were fourth, fifth, and 6th year students and interns. A questionnaire comprised thirteen questions was distributed to evaluate students' and interns' perception about the importance of research in their learning. Results: The results showed that interns and 6th year students were more interested in research as compared to their junior counterparts as they realized the importance of research in their educational growth. This was reflected by the number of interns who completed the questionnaire. Conclusion: Dental students realized the importance of research in the education, but it was found that the proportion of students who did research as part of their course was very low. Students should be actively engaged in research, which can be achieved by introducing research as a compulsory component of their course.