Affiliation

Assistant Professor, Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, Umm Al-Qura University

Corresponding Author

Hanadi Ahmad Lamfon, Assistant Professor, Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, Umm Al-Qura University, E-mail: hlamfon@hotmail.com

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): 1- 7.

Copy rights

© 2016 Hanadi A.L. This is an Open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords

Abstract

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 self- administrated 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.