Final-Year Dentistry Students in UAE Show Gaps in Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Knowledge

Final-year dentistry students at Ajman University in the United Arab Emirates hold positive attitudes toward pharmacovigilance, but their knowledge and practice of adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting fall short, according to a cross-sectional survey published in BMC Medical Education. The study, conducted among students in their final year of the dental program, found that only 48 percent of the 152 participants knew the definition of pharmacovigilance, and fewer than half, 40.8 percent, knew the location of the national pharmacovigilance center in the UAE.

The researchers used a validated, reliability-tested, close-ended structured questionnaire with a Cronbach alpha of 0.813, distributed through Google Forms. The instrument covered four sections: demographics, knowledge, attitude and practice. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics, including the Mann–Whitney U-test for demographic associations and multiple linear regression, with a significance threshold of 0.05.

Attitude scores were encouraging. A majority of students, 58.4 percent, supported the inclusion of pharmacovigilance in their dental curriculum, 52 percent backed mandatory ADR reporting, 48.1 percent wanted proper training on ADR reporting procedures, and 56.5 percent favored continuous education on the topic. Despite this willingness, the practice section revealed low scores: only 33.6 percent of students had observed an ADR in the past year, 25 percent had reported one, and 64.5 percent had not received any training in ADR reporting.

The statistical analysis found no statistically significant association between knowledge or attitude scores and students’ gender, age, or nationality. Male students, however, reported slightly better ADR-related practices, with a p-value of 0.026. Multiple linear regression identified age and gender as predictors of total practice scores, with p-values of 0.022 and 0.003 respectively, while no such predictors emerged for knowledge or attitude scores.

The authors conclude that although participants showed a positive attitude, their knowledge and practice require attention and improvement. The study highlights the need to enhance pharmacovigilance education and make it inclusive within dental curricula, and suggests that future dentists must be prepared to engage in ADR reporting through training programs and increased awareness in order to improve patient safety outcomes.

Subject of Research: Pharmacovigilance knowledge, attitudes and practices among final-year dentistry students in the UAE

Article Title: Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding pharmacovigilance among final year dentistry students in Ajman, United Arab Emirates

Article References: Zerguine, L., Alomar, M., Shanableh, S., Palaian, S., & Desai, V. B. (2026). Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding pharmacovigilance among final year dentistry students in Ajman, United Arab Emirates. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10729-2

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10729-2

Keywords: pharmacovigilance, adverse drug reaction reporting, dentistry students, Ajman University, United Arab Emirates, cross-sectional survey, dental education, patient safety, BMC Medical Education, drug safety, Knowledge, attitude