Background and purpose: The problem of academic failure is one of the major issues in the
educational system in most countries. This study aimed to investigate the educational status and factors
related to educational status of dental students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in a 4-
year period.
Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 88 dental graduates
of School of Dentistry at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in a 4 –year period that were
selected by the census method. Information were collected through a review of documentation in a
form. The data were collected in a confidential manner by referring to the students' educational files
and with the agreement of the College Education Deputy. Data analysis was performed using SPSS
software version 24.
Results: The mean age of the subjects was 27.45 ± 1.46 years. 49 were female and the rest were male.
Also, 76 were single and 63 were in the dormitory. There was a significant relationship between age
(r = -0.29, p = 0.005), gender (p = 0.010), and residence (p = 0.029) with clinical course score, but
There was no significant relationship between marital status and the duration of diploma to university
admission with clinical course score.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, male students, the students older than their classmates,
and those living in student dormitories were among the groups prone to academic failure.