Let's Talk Money: Assessing the Need of Incorporating Financial Education in Dental Curriculum—A Logistic Regression Analysis

Abstract

Introduction

Financial literacy is essential for managing debt, planning for retirement, and making informed money-related decisions. However, in India—especially in healthcare education—this important skill is often overlooked. For dental professionals, understanding their current financial knowledge, mindset, and habits is the first step toward addressing this gap. This study set out to assess the financial literacy of dental practitioners in Maharashtra and emphasize its importance in the current economic context.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 460 registered dental practitioners across five regions of Maharashtra, using a stratified sampling method. Participants completed a validated, self-administered questionnaire over a two-month period, which collected demographic details and evaluated financial awareness, attitude, and behavior. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests for group comparisons, Spearman's correlation for relationships among financial domains, and logistic regression to examine links between participant characteristics and financial literacy. A p-value of less than .05 indicated statistical significance.

Results

The majority of respondents were women under 40, with fewer than 5 years of experience, holding postgraduate degrees (MDS/MBA/PhD), married, and with fewer than two financial dependents. Among them, 42.6% had good financial awareness, 99.1% demonstrated a positive financial attitude, and 36.5% showed good financial behavior.

Conclusion

Although most dental professionals exhibited a positive attitude toward financial matters, their awareness and practical financial behavior were only average. These findings point to the need for focused financial literacy initiatives tailored to dental practitioners.