Factors influencing dental students' specialty choice: a survey of ten graduating classes at one institution.

The aim of this study was to survey ten graduating classes at Harvard School of Dental Medicine regarding students' specialty choice and factors influencing that choice. Students were surveyed once in 2008 (for the Classes of 2007-11) and again in 2013 (for the Classes of 2012-16). A prior article reported results regarding students' interest in and experiences with prosthodontics; this article presents results regarding their interest in all dental specialties and factors influencing those interests. Of a total 176 students in the Classes of 2012-16, 143 responded to the survey, for a response rate of 81%, compared to a 95% response rate (167 of total 176 students) for the Classes of 2007-11. The results showed that orthodontics was the most popular specialty choice, followed by oral and maxillofacial surgery. From the 2008 to the 2013 survey groups, there was an increase in the percentages of students planning to pursue oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatric dentistry, and postdoctoral general dentistry. The educational debt these students expected to accrue by graduation also increased. The largest percentage of students chose "enjoyment of providing the specialty service" as the factor most influencing their specialty choice. "Prior dental school experience" and "faculty influence" were greater influences for students pursuing specialties than those pursuing postdoctoral general dentistry. Increased interest in particular disciplines may be driven by high debt burdens students face upon graduation. Factors related to mentoring especially influenced students pursuing specialties, demonstrating the importance of student experiences outside direct patient care for exposure to the work of specialists beyond the scope of predoctoral training. This finding suggests that dental schools should increase mentoring efforts to help students make career decisions based not on financial burden but rather on personal interest in the specialty, which is likely to have a more satisfying result for them in the long run.

Dental students' perceptions of and experiences with prosthodontics: ten graduating classes at one institution.

It is important for members of the dental specialties to understand what motivates students to enter the specialty in order to ensure its continuing development and ability to meet patient needs. The aim of this study was to compare ten graduating classes at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) regarding students' experiences with and perceptions of prosthodontics and factors influencing those interested in pursuing prosthodontics as a specialty. In 2013, HSDM students in the classes of 2012-16 were surveyed, achieving a response rate of 81%. Survey questions sought information regarding specialty choice, factors influencing the choice, student experiences with prosthodontics, and student perceptions of the dental disciplines. Responses were compared to those from a prior study of the HSDM classes of 2007-11. The responses showed a decrease in negative student experiences with prosthodontics. The students regarded prosthodontics highly for its impact on patient quality of life; however, students interested in pursuing prosthodontics as a specialty decreased. All students said provider enjoyment was most important in choice of specialty. Cost of program, patient type, and program location were factors that especially influenced students interested in prosthodontics. The improved student experiences with and perspectives on prosthodontics may be a result of a curriculum change that led to more prosthodontics procedures and case completions by students. The fall in students interested in prosthodontics may have resulted from prosthodontic faculty transitions that occurred when the survey was conducted, as well as large debt burdens in spite of the fact that prosthodontists' earnings are among the highest in dentistry. Faculty must educate and mentor students about the realities of the profession, provide positive learning experiences in the field, and encourage students who enjoy prosthodontics to pursue specialty training.

Increasing predoctoral dental students' motivations to specialize in prosthodontics.

This study provides data about factors that influence dental students' decision of which specialty to pursue and describes program changes in prosthodontics designed to expand student interest in a prosthodontics training program. Of 176 current and recently graduated students at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 167 responded to the e-mail survey for a 94.9 percent response rate. Using the Pearson chi-square analysis, we analyzed nine factors to determine their contribution to these students' choice of specialty. Two factors, lecture and faculty/mentoring, were highly significant (p<0.006) regarding impact on the students' introductory experience with prosthodontics. When choosing a specialty, 44 percent of all students ranked "enjoyment of providing the specialty service" as the most important factor. Students wishing to specialize in prosthodontics, however, ranked four significant factors: enjoyment of providing the specialty service (p<0.037, p<0.057); faculty influence (p<0.0002, p<0.0001); length of program (p<0.039, p<0.006); and cost of program (p<0.023, p<0.004). Respondents also ranked the nine American Dental Association-recognized specialties regarding their perceptions of future salary and impact on the dental profession. They ranked prosthodontics fourth for future salary and fifth for impact on the profession. At the same time that this study was being conducted, key changes were being made in the graduate prosthodontics program; those appear to have had a positive impact on students' interest in pursuing prosthodontics as a specialty.