An Evaluation of Empathy Levels among Dental Students and House Officers

Abstract

Introduction: Empathy is the capability to feel and understand what other human beings are going through mentally and emotionally. To be empathetic is a part of good mental health, it is to be connected with others and share.
Objective: The study aims to evaluate empathy levels in dental students from 1st year to final year and house officer to show how their attitudes are affected in these five years.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Lahore Medical and Dental College dental students. One hundred and ninety-four students participated in the study. Toronto empathy questionnaire was given after ethical review board approval. Data analysis was done through SPSS version 25.0. One-way ANOVA was used to explore the difference in empathy levels among dental students and house officer.
Results: The mean empathy level among dental students was 45.16 where the minimum value was 23 and the maximum was 62. The mean level of empathy among males was 42.18 which is less than the mean level of empathy among female dentists which was 46.40. A significant difference was found between students in the 3^rd year and final year (MD = 8.34, p = .000). This showed that 3^rd-year dental students are more empathetic as compared to final-year students.
Conclusion: Empathy is important in dental school students' behavior and grooming. It should be implemented in all years, particularly in the last year to accommodate students preparing to enter the workforce.
Keywords: Empathy, dental students, Toronto empathy questionnaire