Introduction
Dental education plays a central role in shaping competent healthcare providers and achieving optimal patient care. The quality of educational services significantly influences students’ academic satisfaction and professional readiness. Among various assessment tools, the SERVQUAL model, proposed by Parasuraman et al., has emerged as a validated and reliable instrument for evaluating service quality based on the discrepancy between clients’ expectations and perceptions across five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy [1]. In the context of dental education in Iran, several institutions have adopted the SERVQUAL model to identify quality gaps and areas for improvement [2, 3]. However, recent transformations in higher education (especially following the COVID-19 pandemic) have altered students’ expectations, requiring renewed assessment of service quality. This study evaluates the quality of educational services at the Faculty of Dentistry, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, including both Rasht and Anzali campuses in Iran, based on student feedback using the SERVQUAL framework.

Participants and Methods
A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 2025, targeting all dental students from years 2 to 6 enrolled in both campuses. Using stratified random sampling, a total of 275 students participated. Data collection was performed using a validated Persian version of the SERVQUAL questionnaire, consisting of three sections: demographic data, 27 items measuring students’ perceptions, and 27 items evaluating their expectations, each categorized into five dimensions of service quality. Meanwhile, the responses were recorded based on a 5-point Likert scale. The reliability of the instrument was confirmed by the Cronbach α coefficients (all>0.78), and content validity was established (CVR = 88%, CVI= 92%) based on expert opinion [3]. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software, version 28. The descriptive statistics and inferential tests (independent t test, analysis of variance, Spearman correlation) were applied with significance set at α=0.05.

Results
The overall mean score for perceived quality was 2.71±0.77, while expected quality was 3.78±0.94. This resulted in a significant total quality gap of -1.06±1.17. Among the five dimensions, the largest gap was observed in tangibles (-1.24±1.21), suggesting student dissatisfaction with the physical infrastructure and outdated facilities. Conversely, the assurance dimension showed the smallest gap (-0.95±1.24), indicating higher trust in the competence and professionalism of academic staff.
Gender-based analysis revealed that the overall quality gap was significantly smaller in male students compared to female students (P=0.029), particularly in the empathy (P=0.021) and assurance (P=0.034) dimensions. Age was negatively correlated with both perceived quality and quality gap: older students reported slightly better perceptions and narrower gaps (r=-0.18, P=0.002). The academic year was positively associated with both perceived quality (r=0.17, P=0.005) and the quality gap (r=0.12, P=0.043), suggesting that more senior students recognized greater service deficits. Campus-specific analysis indicated that students at the Anzali campus experienced larger quality gaps across all dimensions compared to those at the Rasht campus. For example, in the empathy dimension, Anzali students reported a gap of -1.26±1.78 versus -0.41±0.89 in Rasht. Similarly, the total quality gap in Anzali (-1.06±1.91) exceeded that of Rasht (-0.46±0.81), indicating discrepancies in service delivery between the two locations.
Further analysis revealed significant correlations between students’ academic year and the dimensions of assurance, empathy, and responsiveness, where scores generally improved with seniority, albeit with increasing expectations as well. These nuanced patterns suggest that perceived service quality is influenced by a complex interplay of demographic and academic factors.

Conclusion
This study demonstrates that students perceive a consistent and statistically significant gap in the quality of educational services across all SERVQUAL dimensions. These findings corroborate earlier studies in Iran [2–4] and emphasize the persistent mismatch between institutional offerings and student expectations in dental education.
The tangible dimension, which showed the widest gap, reflects ongoing challenges in infrastructure, equipment, and educational environment. The assurance dimension, with the smallest gap, may reflect effective faculty performance and relatively stable academic procedures. However, the gender-related differences imply that female students may experience or perceive academic support and empathy differently, potentially due to higher expectations or different engagement styles [5].
Campus-related differences highlight systemic inequities in resource allocation and management that require targeted interventions. The Anzali campus, in particular, exhibited broader dissatisfaction and requires prioritized investment. The increasing quality gap observed with higher academic years suggests that students’ familiarity with the system may lead to a sharper critical view of its shortcomings.
These results underscore the importance of regular service quality evaluations, tailored interventions, and participatory planning involving student feedback. Institutions should address infrastructural deficits, improve faculty responsiveness, and ensure parity in service quality across campuses.

Ethical Considerations

Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Guilan University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.GUMS.REC.1403.476).

Funding
This article was extracted from the thesis of Padina Safa, funded by the Dental Sciences Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences.

Authors contributions
Conceptualization, design, and critical revision for important intellectual content: Yasamin Babaee Hemmati, Mehran Falahchai, Elham Jafari; Acquisition, analysis, or data interpretation: Mehran Falahchai, Elham Jafari, Padina Safa; Preparing the initial draft: Elham Jafari, Padina Safa; Statistical analysis: Padina Safa; Administrative, technical, or material support: Mehran Falahchai; Study supervision: Yasamin Babaee Hemmati and Mehran Falahchai.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.


 

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