Investigation of Kermanshah Dental School Students’ Attitude to Their Discipline and Future Career

Abstract

Background & Objective: The provision of dental services to society members depends on the motivations of future dentists or studying students to enter this discipline and career. The present study aimed to evaluate Kermanshah dental students’ attitude toward and satisfaction with their discipline and future career. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed on 223 matriculated and international students in the Dentistry School of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences during 2016-2017. The subjects were selected by convenience sampling, and the standard questionnaire (encompassing nine items on satisfaction with discipline and six items on future career) was distributed among the students. Moreover, data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: In total, 223 questionnaires (76.9%) were completed by the students, 79.5% of them were satisfied with their chosen discipline. Furthermore, the high income level of the dental career was the main reason for selecting this discipline by 72.2% of the participants. On the other hand, 84.8% of the students believed that increased admission of students in this field would endanger their future career. However, the results were indicative of no significant difference between age, gender, and year and type of admission with the mean score of students’ attitude toward their discipline and future career (P>0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, most dental students were satisfied with their discipline. In addition, a high level of income, interest in the discipline and gaining a high social position were among the most important reasons for selecting this discipline.