ABSTRACT
Background:
Many studies have been done to find out the motivational factors in choosing
dentistry as a career. Only few studies are carried in
middle East countries like
Saudi Arabia. Aims and
Objectives:
To establish the motivational factors behind selecting a career in
dentistry by
students of both
gender in public and private
schools in
Saudi Arabia. Materials and
Methods:
An anonymous
questionnaire was distributed to 398
students of both public and private
dental schools in
Saudi Arabia. Candidates were asked to score the influence of certain factors on their
decision to choose
dentistry as a career on a scale from 0 to 10 in order of increasing importance. The obtained data was statistically analysed by graph pad prism
software.
Results:
Comparison between
males and
females for the parameter which year of study showed that there was no significant difference (P=0.180). But there was a significant difference between public and private
school for the parameter which year the
students studied (P=0.030). There was significant difference between
male and
female for the parameter one or more of my
relatives are
dentist (P<0.05). Abdullah Bin Nabhan, Mazen A Alshalhoob, Khalid M Almuhaiza, Ziyad R Alqwizani.
Dentistry as a career Factors and Motivational Reasons - A Comparative
questionnaire study of
Students of Public and Private
Schools in
Saudi Arabia. IAIM, 2018; 5(8) 93-99. Page 94
Conclusion:
Within this study’s limitations, three key factors determining were, one or more of my
relatives is
dentist,
dentistry pays better than other job options available to me and which year
student belongs to.