Reasons for choosing dentistry as a career by Arab dental students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the reasons for choosing dentistry as a career in an Arab population of undergraduate dental students in Jordan. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to dental students from year 1 to 5 at the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Jordan in Amman. The questionnaire comprised 31 items and the students were required to rate the importance of each item for selecting dentistry as a career on a 10 point scale. Parametric tests were used to investigate if statistically significant differences existed between scores for different groups. The response rate for the study was 79% (477 out of 604 students recruited). Two hundred and twenty one students (46%) had dentistry as a first choice. Prestige was given a maximum score by 44.4% of the students recruited and a similar number of students, 43.6% gave a maximum score to the factor representing helping people. There were slight differences in the motivation between male and females with males more motivated by financial factors. It was concluded that 'prestige' and 'helping people' were important motivating factors in this group of dental students.

Motivations for Studying Dentistry and Dental College Preference Among Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University (Rakcods) Students

“…It is not unusual for a candidate to develop a different attitude towards the profession in his/ her later years of study. This is quite evident in a previous study that included all students from year one to year five 13 . The current study included two academic years: year one (fresh students) and year two (just finished year one).…”

“…Many students consider the dental profession as prestigious. In a study involving more than 400 students prestige topped the other factors scoring 44.4% and helping other people came second: 43.6% 13 . A substantial percentage of people in many communities cannot afford dental treatment.…”

Psychological well-being status among medical and dental students in Makkah, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

“…This might indicate that the positive and negative aspects of psychology act differently; that is, a high level of satisfaction might result from students' perception of high prestige, salary and a secure job in the these fields (Al-Bitar et al 2008), but it did not reduce psychological distress brought on by students' other challenges.…”

The profile of Dentistry students at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and expectations regarding the profession, 2010-2011

“…The high percentage of women verified among the graduates (55,3%) confirm the feminization process of the professions of the health area and, more especially, in Dentistry, throughout the years [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] . This standing out of women in Dentistry was also noticed in the international setting [22][23] . Generally speaking, the predominance of female dentists was observed since the end of the '90's, whereas prior to that, the profession was considered eminently masculine, since 90% of the professionals were men 24 .…”