[The use of scientific journals and professional periodicals by Dutch dental students].

In the present study, the extent to which dental students in Amsterdam, Groningen and Nijmegen consult scientific journals and professional periodicals was explored by means of a digital questionnaire. 333 dental students (20% response rate) participated in this study, 69% of whom had experience in conducting scientific research. 65% of the students had a subscription to a dental journal. Of the Dutch-language dental journals, the 'Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Tandheelkunde' [Netherlands Journal for Dentistry] and the 'Nederlands Tandartsenblad' [Dutch Dentists' Journal] are frequently consulted journals. International publications are consulted especially by masters students, although less frequently than Dutch dental journals. The study revealed that 77% of the students consider it important that attention is paid to the development of scientific skills early in the dental curriculum in order to adequately prepare students to select and interpret publications.