CAREER CHOICE AND MOTIVA TION OF FIRST-YEAR DENTAL STUDENTS

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine first- year dental students’ motivation and attitude for choosing to become dentists and to study at the Dental School, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.

Methods: A questionnaire, consisting of students’ socio-demographic profile and their motivation for choosing dentistry, was administered to first- year dental students. The study was conducted at the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year. Simple descriptive analysis was undertaken using Microsoft Excel. In Turkey ethics approval is not required for surveys of health students such as this one, in which completion of a questionnaire is voluntary and anonymous.

Results: One hundred twenty one questionnaires were distributed, and completed by 119 first year dental students (78 female, 43 male). The majority of the students 80(66%) were self-motivated to choose dentistry as a career. Most of them 110(91%) reported that they did not have relatives in the medical or dental profession. For 76(63%) of the students the choice of dentistry was their own decision. Students explained their choice to become dentists by giving more than one answer: 9(7.5%) chose dentistry as a prestige profession, 19(16%) because it is humane and noble, 30(25%) for financial stability, and 14(12%) because it provides autonomy to the practitioner. Forty one(34%) considered that the dentistry is difficult to study and hard to practice. For 58(48%) of the respondents, health problems were a serious reason for interrupting their education. Only 11(9%) of the respondents would try to transfer to another university. The remaining 109(91%) responded negatively to the question.

Conclusion: Students’ motivation and attitudes for choosing the dental profession should be considered when selecting and training them. Financial stability and ‘prestige’ were the predominant motivating factors in this group of first-year dental students. They considered that the dentistry is difficult to study and hard to practice. These findings may not be generalisable nationally as students sampled were enrolled in a single Faculty. Further research across different educational locations would be beneficial.