Abstract
The study aimed to evaluate factors affecting the choice of dentistry as a career as well as the choice of future specialty among senior dental students registered in British University of Egypt (BUE), during the academic year 2016/2017. A questionnaire form was downloaded from the students learning forum (e-learning), the students were then asked to fill up the form and hand it in during class. Results: Out of 200, 181 students responded to the survey, with a response rate of 90.5%. 67% of the students chose dentistry according to their own will, 20.1% due to family pressure, while only 12.8% were due to their high school grades. Fixed prosthodontics was the most favored specialty among the students who aimed for further postgraduate education (23.8%) while endodontics ranked as the second most popular specialty (22.7%) and Oral surgery came in the third rank (11%). There was a statistically significant difference between males and females in choosing fixed prosthodontics as well as oral pathology (p-value≤0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that “High school category” showed statistical significance in the prediction, p < 0.05 Conclusion: 67% of our respondents think they were given sufficient inspiration and guidance to decide on future plans, while, 39% of these students were guided by faculty staff members, which constituted the highest influence rather than recommendations from practicing dentists, family members or friends.
Recommended Citation
S. Kabil N, G. Allam G, M. Abd El-Geleel O. Motivational reasons for choosing dentistry as a professional career & factors affecting specialty choice among final year dental students. Future Dental Journal. 2020; 4(2):308-313.