Effect of morality or capitalist ideology in choosing dentistry as a career in Türkiye: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have provided important findings on the profession of dentistry and the motivators for choosing dentistry. This study has attempted to contribute to this accumulation by using a sociocultural perspective and interpreting the relationships among motivators from this perspective in a large Turkish sample. The aim of this study was to investigate what motivates dental students to choose dentistry as a career in Türkiye.

METHODS

First-year dental students from different dental schools were included in a descriptive cross-sectional study. The questionnaire included sections covering demographics, motivators and career satisfaction. A total of 919 students from 29 different state dental schools and four private dental schools participated. Descriptive statistics such as percentages, means and standard deviations were used to summarize the sociodemographic information and the distribution of the motivators. Factorial analysis was carried out for the structural status of the questionnaire items. The relationships between the motivators were analyzed using Pearson's correlation.

RESULTS

Among the 919 students, 64.2% were female, and 35.8% were male. Half of them chose dentistry after seeing their higher education institution's examination results, while the other half had already considered it a career during their preuniversity years. Communicating with people, artistic skills, and helping others were the main motivators for students to choose dentistry as a career in Türkiye, and students' overall career satisfaction was moderately high. The strongest correlations were between communication with people and benefits (r =.74), between communication with people and helping others (r =.71), between communication with people and artistic skills (r =.66), between artistic skills and benefits (r =.69), between artistic skills and helping others (r =.65), between dental experience and benefits (r =.51), between dental experience and helping others (r =.50), and between benefits and helping others (r =.71).

CONCLUSION

Helping others, artistic skills, communicating with people, and benefits were the most important factors motivating dental students to choose a career, and positive relationships were detected between these four factors. This information may help to develop more effective career guidance and mentorship strategies for dental students.

Sociodemographic profiles and career motivations of Australian dental students

PURPOSE

Prior studies explored factors influencing dental study choice, but shifts from BDSc to DDS degrees in some countries impact demographics and motivations, potentially affecting the dental workforce. The aim of this study was to establish Australian DDS and BOH students' sociodemographics and career motivations.

METHODS

Questionnaires conducted in mid-2019 assessed sociodemographic profiles and career motivations. Statistical analysis utilized descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

The overall response rate was 71.3%. DDS students had an average age of 25.2 years, while BOH students averaged 21.5 years. Most BOH (80.7%) and DDS students (52.0%) were female. They were mainly single, local, Australian citizens from metropolitan areas. Self-motivation ranked highest, particularly for DDS students (P < 0.05). Significant motivators included healthcare occupation, helping others, interesting career, and flexible hours (P < 0.05). DDS students were more motivated by flexible hours and independence (P < 0.05), while females emphasized a healthcare profession (P = 0.003). International students were motivated by being their own boss (P = 0.003), and private school graduates valued lifestyle within the profession (P = 0.049).

CONCLUSION

Despite sociodemographic changes, the main motivations for studying dentistry remain consistent. DDS students prioritized lifestyle factors such as time and remuneration over BOH students.

Dental hygiene and dental students' motivations for future work: a cross-sectional study of first-year students at a dental hygiene school and a dental school in Japan

BACKGROUND

It is important to understand the career motivations and perceptions of students who intend to become dental health professionals. Both dental and dental hygiene students may have different opinions about the profession and future work prospects. To our knowledge, no study has compared the career motivations and career perceptions of Japanese dental and dental hygiene students after admission to dental or dental hygiene school. This cross-sectional study examined the motivations of dental and dental hygiene students for their future career perceptions.  METHODS: First-year students of dental and dental hygiene schools in the academic years 2021 and 2022 participated in the study. Group 1 comprised 104 female dental hygiene students, Group 2-1 comprised 55 female dental students, and Group 2-2 comprised 61 male dental students. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on opinions of the work and prospects of future work with four-point Likert scales ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree," according to the items.

RESULTS

Dental hygiene students consider that they would like to work as professionals and would also like to earn efficiently. Specifically, female dental students prioritized contributing to society by working long-term in a fulfilling environment rather than earning an income, whereas male dental students would like to work as a professional while also effectively earning income.

CONCLUSIONS

Small but significant differences were found in opinions of the dental hygienist/dentist profession in terms of attractiveness and credibility. Small but significant differences were found for income and working hours when considering future job prospects. The results of this study revealed differences in the first year students between dental and dental hygiene school in their attitudes toward career motivation and prospects for future work.

The motivation and confidence in choosing dentistry as a career amongst dental students: A mixed-methods study

OBJECTIVES

An insight into students' motivation and confidence in the choice of entering and remaining in dental education is essential. The understanding of how choices are made can help universities in the planning of admission policies. This study aimed to evaluate the career choice influences, motivation and confidence in the choices made into dental education.

METHODS

A mixed-method design was employed, using both quantitative and qualitative data. One hundred seventy-three questionnaires were distributed to all registered dental students, with a response rate of 85%. The questionnaire explored students' demographics and factors that influenced their career choice. Seven focus groups were facilitated with related data recorded and transcribed verbatim.

RESULTS

The quantitative data revealed the desire to help others, and socioeconomic factors were influential, whilst for parents' influence, the mother's influence was statistically significant. Qualitatively, results converged and complemented quantitative data; there was a balance between helping others and socioeconomic and familial influences. There was an increase in confidence in the choice made as students advanced in their dental education. The results indicate that informed awareness of the dental programme structure is essential before embarking on a dental career.

CONCLUSIONS

The factors that impacted on choice were helping others, socioeconomic factors and the influence on choice from family. They were generally satisfied with their choice and were confident in the choice they made. This confidence, however, was not reflected until the more advanced clinical stages of their dental education.

Career motivation and satisfaction of dental hygiene students in associate versus bachelor degree programs: A national survey

OBJECTIVES

Entry-level dental hygiene programs give associate (AD) and bachelor degrees (BD). The objectives were to compare how AD versus BD students differ in career-related role models and information sources, career motivations, and satisfaction and to explore the relationships between career motivations and satisfaction.

METHODS

Two hundred seventy-one students in AD and 269 students in BD programs responded to a survey.

RESULTS

AD students were older than BD students (26.71/23.6; p < 0.001). Both groups were most likely to name a nurse/dental hygienist (37.6%/37.3%) as role models in their families, were likely to have shadowed a dental hygienist (77.6%/75.0%), and had talked to a health professional (27.7%/23.7%) prior to program application. BD students decided earlier to become dental hygienists (17.20/19.97 years; p < 0.001) and were less likely to have been dental assistants before than AD students (28.3%/36.9%; p = 0.034). Both groups agreed strongly that they wanted to become dental hygienists to help patients (5-point scale with 5 = agree strongly: 4.88/4.86), make a difference in the life of patients (4.88/4.86) and because it is a flexible career (4.83/4.80). Open-ended responses showed that 62.4% of AD students compared to 35.3% of BD students choose their career because of lifestyle considerations (p < 0.001), while 47.2% of BD students versus 38.0% of AD students wanted to work in the healthcare field (p < 0.001). Both groups had high job satisfaction (3-point scale: 2.94/2.97). For AD students, job satisfaction correlated with wanting to help patients (r = 0.49; p < 0.01) and with making a difference in the life of patients (r = 0.52; p < 0.001). For BD students, wanting to work in a team (r = 0.34; p < 0.001) and having a dentist in the family (r = 0.32; p < 0.001) correlated with job satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Dental hygiene students in AD versus BD programs differ in the factors that are associated with job satisfaction. Dental hygiene educators can utilize these findings when recruiting future students. The findings related to motivational determinants of job satisfaction can guide educational efforts.

Dental students' OMFS-related experiences and interest in OMFS careers: An exploration

PURPOSE

While the numbers of oral maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) residents increased over time, women and residents from underrepresented minority backgrounds are still underrepresented. The objectives were to assess dental students' OMFS-related personal and educational experiences and attitudes and explore which factors correlate with their interest in future OMFS careers.

METHODS

Data were collected from 493 dental students in 1 dental school and 206 students from 15 other US and Canadian dental schools.

RESULTS

The students in the national sample were more likely to have experienced an OMFS procedure themselves (64.6% vs. 50.7%; P = 0.001), have shadowed an OMFS in an operating room (23.2% vs. 14.9%; P = 0.009) prior to coming to dental school and to be much/very much interested in an OMFS career (36.4% vs. 12%; P < 0.001) than the students at the home school. While the majority of both groups rated their experiences with rotations in the OMFS department in the dental school (68% vs. 62.5%) and in the hospital (80.3% vs. 85.7%) as very interesting, the students in the national sample were more likely to agree/strongly agree that they were satisfied with their OMFS experiences (68.1% vs. 36.3%; P < 0.001) and had learned a lot from the OMFS faculty (57.9% vs. 30.8%) than the students in the home school. For both groups, the degree of interest in an OMFS career correlated with having had more personal OMFS experiences (home: r = 0.28; P < 0.001/other: r = 0.39; P < 0.001), more interesting OMFS experiences in the dental school (r = 0.23; P < 0.05/r = 0.40; P < 0.001) and the hospital (0.33; P < 0.05/r = 0.50; P < 0.001) and more positive attitudes toward OMFS faculty (r = 0.26; P < 0.001/r = 0.37; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Positive personal and educational OMFS experiences and positive attitudes toward OMFS faculty were associated with an interest in OMFS careers. These findings provide a basis for developing educational interventions aimed at increasing the percentage of women and residents from URM backgrounds in OMFS programs.

Students' motivating influences for selecting dental hygiene and a 4-year degree: A retrospective study

PURPOSE

A growing body of research is exploring why applicants select to enrol into a 4-year dental hygiene degree in Canada when the entry-to-practice credential remains a diploma. The aims of this study were to investigate first-year entry-to-practice students' motivating influences for choosing the dental hygiene profession and enrolling in a baccalaureate program.

METHODS

Between 2013 and 2018, first-year students in the University of British Columbia's Bachelor of Dental Science program completed orientation surveys. A secondary data analysis was conducted on a total of 127 orientation surveys from a cumulative first-year population over a 5-year period. 159 students participated in the surveys for an 80% response rate. Survey questions were open-ended. Saldaña's approach to coding was used to analyse the descriptive data for emerging themes.

RESULTS

The primary reasons for choosing dental hygiene as a profession included personal desire (65%) which involved students' desire to help others, as well as past experience (32%) relating to personal, goal or external experiences. Two prominent themes for choosing a dental hygiene degree emerged and included expanding career opportunities outside of clinical practice (82%) and broadening and deepening one's knowledge base (34%).

CONCLUSIONS

The results provide insight about the factors that influence prospective dental hygiene students to pursue a baccalaureate credential that is presently beyond the entry-to-practice requirements for the dental hygiene profession in Canada.