Ranking the soft skills of the dental profession based on the importance in job performance: A mixed method study in Isfahan and Mazandaran Universities of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Background: Soft skills are the key indicators of success and quality of performance in various
professions, including the dental profession. The skills are the main tools for enhancing the quality
of technical work in Dentistry. Hence, the aim of this study was to identify and prioritize the soft
skills in dental profession.
Materials and Methods: The study employed a mixed methods research. In the qualitative phase,
the dental skills were identified using a semi‑structured interview with faculty members and dental
students. In the quantitative phase, the soft skills were prioritized with Analytical Hierarchical
Process (AHP). The data analysis was using Expert Choice software.
Results: The results showed that the dental profession to improve the quality of performance
needs to 29 soft skills in six categories. In professional ethics, work ethics (with weight of 0.212)
and responsibility (0.188); in artistic skills, handicrafts (0.616); in cognitive skills, decision‑making
ability (0.290) and spatial thinking (0.249); in communication skills, verbal/nonverbal communication
and listening (0.266), and patience (0.240); in individual characteristics, stress management (0.381)
and self‑esteem (0.260); and finally, in management skills, time management (0.481) are among the
most important soft skills in dental profession.
Conclusion: Identify and prioritize the soft skills can help to improve the quality of performance
the dental profession. Therefore, it is recommended to integrate these skills into the dentistry
curriculum. Moreover, by increasing the number of studies the essential backgrounds for developing
soft skills in dentistry education will be provided.
Key Words: Dentistry, education, quality of performance, soft skills