IntroductionTo determine the factors associated with interest in scientific research in dental students of six Cuban universities.MethodsThis is a multicenter cross-sectional analytical study. Interest in scientific research was the dependent variable, and it was assessed through a questionnaire proved to be reliable (Cronbach’s α = 0.88). We obtained adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR), 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), and p values through generalized linear models.ResultsA total of 587 students were part of the research, and 57.9% manifested interest in scientific research. However, when they were asked if they wanted to pursue a research career in the future, only 45.1% responded affirmatively. We found, through multivariate analysis, that there was more interest in scientific research among those who were student assistants (aPR: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.41–4.16; p = 0.001), those who had previous studies (aPR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.02–1.79; p = 0.034), and those who had received awards in scientific events (aPR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.26–2.41; p = 0.001). In contrast, there was less interest among those who were at the clinical stage of their career (aPR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.49–0.89; p = 0.006), adjusted for seven variables.ConclusionsThere exists interest in scientific research and we found some factors associated with this. This has to be taken into account in order for educational institutions to generate strategies.

Introduction: It is very important to research into the reasons why students choose a career in Dentistry; however, current Cuban studies on this topic are scarce. This study aims to characterize the motivations for studying Dentistry and to identify the associated factors in Cuban students. Material and Methods: A total of 1324 students from nine Cuban universities participated in this cross-sectional, analytic, observational, multicenter and questionnaire-based study. The “Dental Motivation Scale”, a validated test, was used to measure social, altruistic, economic, and prestige motivators. For statistical analysis, frequencies and percentages were described, and generalized linear models were used to establish statistical associations. Results: Sixty six percent of the surveyed students were female and the mean age was 21.2. The students were more motivated to major in Dentistry by their desire to study for constant progress (57%) as well as the possibility of being able to help others (50%). Those who had relatives that were dentists had a lower social/altruistic motivation (studying for constant progress; p=0.004). Family pressure was associated with an increase in economic/prestige motivators: economic security (p=0.001), stable job (p<0.001) and reaching high social status (p<0.001). Conclusion: Students coming from families related to Dentistry were less motivated by social/altruistic aspects. Conversely, those with family pressure had a higher economic/prestige motivation.

Introducción: La procrastinación académica puede repercutir negativamente en la formación estudiantil y el desempeño profesional, de allí la necesidad de contar con instrumentos válidos y confiables para su estudio. Objetivo: Analizar las evidencias de validez y confiabilidad de una escala de procrastinación académica en estudiantes cubanos de Estomatología. Métodos: Estudio instrumental, transversal y multicéntrico, que incluyó estudiantes de siete universidades cubanas. A partir de un instrumento en español validado en estudiantes peruanos, se realizó un análisis factorial confirmatorio, se utilizó el modelamiento de ecuaciones estructurales y se calculó la consistencia interna con el coeficiente α de Cronbach. Resultados: Se incluyó a 684 participantes, de los cuales el 63,45 % fueron mujeres y la media de la edad fue 22,0 ± 1,71 años. De la escala inicial de 12 ítems distribuidos en 2 factores, el análisis factorial sugirió eliminar el ítem 5. El modelo final quedó conformado por 11 ítems, 8 para el factor 1 (Autorregulación académica) y 3 para el factor 2 (Postergación de actividades). Se obtuvo un coeficiente α de Cronbach de 0,786 (IC 95 % = 0,75 – 0,81), lo cual indica que la consistencia interna del instrumento es buena. Conclusiones: Se validó una escala de procrastinación académica de 11 ítems (EPA-11-Odonto), la cual posee evidencias de validez y confiabilidad adecuadas para evaluar el constructo en estudiantes cubanos de Estomatología.