E-book or printed textbook? perceptions of dental students and comparison of perceptions between undergraduates and post graduates

Introduction: Technology has changed the way student’s access information. As the members of the millennial generation, current dental students are more technology–savvy and connected than the previous generation. Many books are now available in electronic formats and electronic publishing is rapidly replacing printed materials. Objectives: To assess the perceptions of students regarding the internet, e-textbooks, and printed textbooks. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 5 dental colleges in and around Hyderabad city on 864 dental students using a self-administered questionnaire which was given to the students from 2nd year B.D.S to final year M.D.S to know the perceptions of e-book learning and printed textbook learning. Results: Of the 864 students, 83% of them agreed that e- books offer more updated information over printed textbook and, 82% agreed that e- books are easy in carrying and storage but majority of them also agreed that reading e- books is more strenuous, and knowledge gained from reading a printed copy is retained for a longer period of time. Conclusion: Despite advancements in the internet, learning technologies and provision of updated information from e- books, dental students still prefer to buy, understand and learn from a printed textbook.