Dentistry by Volition or by Happenstance-A Questionnaire Study

Abstract

Introduction: The present study contemplates about the profile of first year dental students and their attitudes towards choosing dentistry as a career. Aim and objectives : To assess the factors that leads to the choice of dentistry as an occupation among the first year students in one of the private dental colleges in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Materials and methods: The study sample includes first year students in one of the private dental colleges in Madurai, who were enrolled during the academic year of 2017-2018. A cross sectional survey was conducted among 75 students of first year BDS using a self-administered questionnaire. The survey form consisted of ten close ended questions. Information was collected, evaluated and delineated as numeral and percentage. Results: The response rate of the study participants was 100%. Majority of the participants 58.7% of them have chosen dentistry because they were unable to get an admission in medical course. Discussion: Majority of the students in the study have chosen dentistry as an alternative to medicine and few of them by their family impact.