Objective: Self-assessment is a crucial skill for dentists and healthcare professionals as it allows them to engage in critical thinking and develop effective treatment strategies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the self-assessment skills of second-year dental students and to explore whether these abilities are influenced by gende

Materials and Methods: In this study, 100 second-year dental students who participated in a preclinical practical exam performed class II amalgam cavity preparation and restoration. They were asked to self-assess their own work. Two faculty members independently graded all procedures. The data were analyzed in terms of the student self-assessment scores, faculty scores, and the gap score (S-F) as difference between self-assessment (S) and faculty assessment (F).

Results: The answers of 51 (31 females, 20 males) out of 100 students were analysed (51%=participation ratio). There was a statistically significant difference between the students' assessments and faculty assessments (p<0.05). Both males and females had positive S-F gap, which means that the students generally overestimated their performance. Also, there was not any statistically significant difference in S-F gaps in terms of gender and GPA (p>0.05). Only the females had negative correlations between their GPA-faculty scores and GPA-self assessment scores (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Overestimation was generally common among the second year dental students. However, it was not statistically significant in terms of gender and GPA. To be able to improve students' skill, self-assessment may be integrated into curriculum and practiced more frequently within more extended time.