Affiliation:
1. BINGOL UNIVERSITY
2. Bingöl Üniversitesi Diş Hekimliği Fakültesi
Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate empathy levels and perspectives of oral health and dental prosthetic technology students. The study was designed as a survey conducted among second-year students who started clinical education in the Department of Oral Health and Dental Prosthetics Technology at Bingol University Health Services Vocational School. The JSPE-HP version of the physician empathy scale was used to measure empathy levels. A total of 53 students participated in this study, of which 58.5% were dental prosthetic technology students and 41.5% were Oral Health students. The overall average JSPE-HP score for all participants was found to be 74.49±9.55. Although the average empathy score of the female students was higher than that of the male students, no statistically significant difference was found (p=0.293). This study shows that the JSPE-HP scale provides a reliable and valid measure of empathy among vocational school students, and there is no difference in perspective-taking ability based on this measurement. These results suggest that clinical and theoretical education should be added to the development of empathy skills.