Iranian Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

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Empathy and communication between dentists and patients are among the major concerns of dental health educators. The present study aimed to evaluate the empathy levels of dentistry students with their patients in the city of Tehran during 2014.In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 410 dentistry students of various universities throughout Tehran were selected randomly. Data were collected using the questionnaire of demographic data and Interpersonal Reactivity Index to assess dispositional empathy. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16 statistical software.The students had a mean empathy score of 53.06 (SD = ± 1.03), with the highest level pertaining to the imagination dimension (14.41 ± 4.65). Age, gender, and educational level had significant relationships with empathy (P < 0.01). Female students reported higher emotional empathy (P < 0.01), but no significant relationship was found between empathy and the university of attendance.Empathy scores of undergraduate dentistry students were lower than ideal and acceptable levels. Therefore it seems necessary to design proper educational programs to improve empathy among dentistry students.

Keywords: dentistry, education, empathy, student

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