Characteristics and Study Motivation of Clinical Dental Students in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

A cross‐sectional study of a cohort of 197 clinical dental students in the four accredited dental schools in Nigeria was conducted to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of these dental students and their motives for the choice of dentistry. The results indicate that the number of female dental students in Nigeria is increasing, which reflects a trend well established in virtually all other nations. The vast majority of Nigerian dental students (97 percent) qualified for school based on their performance on the University Matriculation Examination. About one‐third, 32.5 percent, indicated that dentistry was their first choice for a career. This choice was greatly influenced by family in 50 percent of this group of students. There were several factors that strongly influenced career choice among students who indicated that dentistry was their first choice: interest, prestige, good employment opportunity abroad, and regular work hours. The need to go into a prestigious and financially lucrative profession similar to medicine were the commonest reasons identified by the group of students for whom dentistry was not the first career choice. The motives for choosing dentistry as a career in this group of students seem to relate to an image of dentistry as a vehicle for the achievement of personal goals. It is recommended that high school students be encouraged to see dentistry first hand. This is because in countries such as Nigeria it is not unusual for a potential dental student to have never visited the dentist.

Nepalese dental hygiene and dental students’ career choice motivation and plans after graduation: a descriptive cross-sectional comparison

“…According to a recent survey by the FDI geographical mal-distribution of dentists is a problem regardless of the economic development of a country and migration to larger cities is an international trend [ 21 ]. A majority of this study’s students preferred to work in urban areas, a finding that aligns with other studies [ 4 , 21 , 31 , 35 , 36 , 49 , 50 ] with only 10 % intending to work in rural areas after graduation. This will not benefit the 80 % of Nepalese people that live in rural areas [ 51 ].…”

“…In 2008, 60 % of Nepalese registered dentists were female [ 7 , 18 ]. At the time of our survey, 80 % of the enrolled students at this dental college were female, which is consistent with global trends of greater numbers of female students in dentistry training [ 31 , 35 , 37 – 43 ]. The specific characteristics of the dentistry profession (higher degree of flexibility, possible more autonomy compared to dental hygienists and balance between personal and professional life) can be important in selecting a degree [ 42 , 43 ].…”

“…In other international studies, choosing dentistry is often related to the social status and lifestyle of the profession, as much as the desire to serve others and work in health [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 31 , 34 , 35 ]. A recent study of Australian Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) students showed that caring and helping other people was the primary motivation for study selection [ 36 ].…”

Les étudiants de la faculté de médecine dentaire au Maroc sont-ils motivés?

“…Ces raisons n'ont pas la même priorité pour les deux sexes [4] . Dans une étude menée sur des étudiants nigériens [14] , environ 50 % faisaient le choix d'une formation en médecine dentaire en étant influencé par la famille. D'autres facteurs interviennent aussi dans le choix de cette carrière : heures de travail régulières, prestige et bonne opportunité de travail à l'étranger.…”

Perceptions Regarding Tobacco Cessation Counselling among Dental Students and Graduates: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In our study, when asked if dentist's time can be better spent doing things other than TCC, 39.2% undergraduates and 59% graduates disagreed. In contrast to this, majority of the Nigerian students felt that their time can be utilized in doing other things, which shows paucity of oral health and human resources as an estimated ration of dentist to patient is 1:41000, thus leaving them with busy clinical hours (Orenuga and da Costa, 2006).…”