Journal of Dentistry and Oral Care

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the motivators choosing dentistry as a career among dental students at Umm – Al Qura public dental school and compare the results with previous study conducted at Ibn – Sina private dental school. Methods: This study is a continuation of a previous similar study that was carried out at Ibn – Sina private dental school. A selfadministrated questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: A 69.3% of dental students choosing dentistry as a first career among Ibn – Sina dental students when compared with the response of Umm – Al Qura dental students (61.5%). A significant difference in the motivator factors between public and private dental students was also observed. Private dental school students were found to be motivated by financial factors (6.51 ± 3.26), while the public dental school students were motivated more by people factors (7.52 ± 3.57). Conclusion: All the students assessed both in public and private dental schools, listed dentistry as a career choice primarily as they enjoy helping people, although the flexibility of the study program and money gains also appealed. *Corresponding author: Hanadi Ahmad Lamfon, Assistant Professor, Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, Umm Al-Qura University, E-mail: [email protected] Citation: Hanadi A.L. Career motivations: Differences and Similarities between Public and Private Dental Schools in Saudi Arabia. (2016) J Dent Oral Care 2(3): 17. J Dent Oral Care | Volume 2: Issue 3 Introduction The practice of dentistry is unique among health care professions in that the majority of dentists are independent health care providers[1]. Many issues may be considered when choosing a career; work environment, financial rewards and availability of prestigious alternatives[2,3]. There have been several studies assessing underlying entry into the dental profession[1-5]. The motivating factors for selecting any career are complex and in dentistry is no exception. Therefore it is essential to understand the motivating factors, priorities, perceptions of the profession and socio-demographic backgrounds of students who choose this career[4]. Motivators vary among the same student population or in different student populations; moreover, the relative importance of these factors may differ between males and females[3,4]. In recent decades, however, there has been a massive growth in the number of private dental schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). According to statistics obtained from the Ministry of Education, there are 26 dental schools; seven private and nineteen dental schools are public. The students admitted to attend University participate in a one-year preparatory course after which, based on their Grade Point Average (GPA), they are committed to a medical, dental or other allied college. The degree of Dental Bachelor and Bachelor of Oral Surgery is a six year course, including one year of rotating internship. Private dental schools obtain a tuition fee from their students that are considered the main source of income for these schools[6]. Studies have indicated that in spite of the variation in student populations at all universities, the motives for studying dentistry remain essentially the same[5,7,8]. Similarities in attitudes towards joining the dental profession in both private and public dental Career Motivations: Differences and Similarities between Public and Private Dental Schools in Saudi Arabia Copyrights: © 2016 Hanadi A.L. This is an Open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 1 Hanadi Ahmad Lamfon* Received date: April 05, 2016 Accepted date: August 30, 2016 Published date: Sept 03, 2016 Hanadi A.L DOI: 10.15436/2379-1705.16.856