Dentistry as a career: Factors and Motivational Reasons - A Comparative questionnaire study of Students of Public and Private Schools in Saudi Arabia

Background: Many studies have been done to find out the motivational factors in choosing dentistry as a career. Only few studies are carried in middle East countries like Saudi Arabia. Aims and Objectives: To establish the motivational factors behind selecting a career in dentistry by students of both gender in public and private schools in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 398 students of both public and private dental schools in Saudi Arabia. Candidates were asked to score the influence of certain factors on their decision to choose dentistry as a career on a scale from 0 to 10 in order of increasing importance. The obtained data was statistically analysed by graph pad prism software. Results: Comparison between males and females for the parameter which year of study showed that there was no significant difference (P=0.180). But there was a significant difference between public and private school for the parameter which year the students studied (P=0.030). There was significant difference between male and female for the parameter one or more of my relatives are dentist (P<0.05). Conclusion: Within this study's limitations, three key factors determining were, one or more of my relatives is dentist, dentistry pays better than other job options available to me and which year student belongs to.