Social Skills and Empathy Levels of Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine the social skills and empathic levels of students of Trakya University Faculty of Dentistry. Methods: A questionnaire including sociodemographic questions, a social skill inventory, and an empathy scale was administered to 293 students. Results: The empathy score ranged from 17 to 70, with a mean of 42.20±10.40. Empathy scores of 3rd grades were significantly lower than 1st grades, 2nd grades, and 4th grades. There was no statistically significant difference between the 1st, 2nd, and 4th grades regarding empathy scores. The empathy scores of females were statistically significantly higher than males. According to The Social Skills Inventory, the total inventory score was 283.90±24.50. 3rd grade students had lower total inventory scores than 4th grade students. There was no statistically significant difference between the other grades. Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive, moderate (48.6%), and statistically significant relationship between empathy score and emotional sensitivity and the total inventory scores. Conclusions: Results suggest that dental students had the most social control and the least social sensitivity. The empathy scores of females were higher than males, and both emotional and social 'sensitivity' subgroups were positively correlated with the empathy scale. Keywords: dental education, dental students, empathy, social skills