Study motives, career choices and interest in paediatric dentistry among final year dental students in Nigeria
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Date
2014-07-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
BMC Medical Education
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Students’ motives for studying Dentistry have been a subject of interest for years because of the
potential for understanding the psychological makeup and subsequent job satisfaction for the dentist. It is also
useful in identifying expectations of the profession. This study therefore tried to identify study motives and career
preferences of dental students especially with respect to the practice of paediatric dentistry.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire. The final year students in six
dental schools in Nigeria were required to fill the questionnaire. Students were asked to rank their motives and
career preferences on a Likert like scale with points ranging from 0–5 where 0 represented a factor that had no
influence on their decision and 5 represented a very influential factor. The underlying dimensions for study motives,
career preference, impression about and motive for interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry were identified
using factor analysis.
Results: One hundred and seventy nine of 223 students (80.3%) participated in this study. Motives for the practice
of dentistry included characteristics of the profession, altruism and intellectual challenges, existence of artistic
theme in dentistry and parent’s recommendation. Overall, 67.1% of respondents indicated interest in postgraduate
studies and 50.8% were interested in paediatric dentistry practice. The main motives for showing interest in the
practice of paediatric dentistry were ‘personal interest, professional interest and interest of significant others in
children’, and ‘family influence’. Significantly more males than females were interested in the practice of paediatric
dentistry though the motives for interest in the practice of paediatric dentistry did not differ significantly by
sex or age.
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