Factors Influencing Dental Students’ Specialty Choice: A Survey of Ten Graduating Classes at One Institution

Abstract

The aim of this study was to survey ten graduating classes at Harvard School of Dental Medicine regarding students' specialty choice and factors inluencing that choice. Students were surveyed once in 2008 (for the Classes of 2007-11) and again in 2013 (for the Classes of 2012-16). A prior article reported results regarding students' interest in and experiences with prosthodontics; this article presents results regarding their interest in all dental specialties and factors inluencing those interests. Of a total 176 students in the Classes of 2012-16, 143 responded to the survey, for a response rate of 81%, compared to a 95% response rate (167 of total 176 students) for the Classes of 2007-11. The results showed that orthodontics was the most popular specialty choice, followed by oral and maxillofacial surgery. From the 2008 to the 2013 survey groups, there was an increase in the percentages of students planning to pursue oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatric dentistry, and postdoctoral general dentistry. The educational debt these students expected to accrue by graduation also increased. The largest percentage of students chose "enjoyment of providing the specialty service" as the factor most inluencing their specialty choice. "Prior dental school experience" and "faculty inluence" were greater inluences for students pursuing specialties than those pursuing postdoctoral general dentistry. Increased interest in particular disciplines may be driven by high debt burdens students face upon graduation. Factors related to mentoring especially inluenced students pursuing specialties, demonstrating the importance of student experiences outside direct patient care for exposure to the work of specialists beyond the scope of predoctoral training. This inding suggests that dental schools should increase mentoring efforts to help students make career decisions based not on inancial burden but rather on personal interest in the specialty, which is likely to have a more satisfying result for them in the long run.

Dental Students' Exposure to Periodontal and Implant Placement Surgeries in U.S. Dental Schools

“…Previous studies have identified factors that play a role in this career selection process—including educational debt, family situation, and gender 14, 15 . For students who pursue advanced dental training, previous studies found that students ranked special skills and talent unique to a specialty and the enjoyment they derived in providing that specialty service very high on the list of factors that influenced their decision to specialize and which specialty they chose 16, 17 . Therefore, it is important for students to gain exposure to what a specific specialty can offer and if they may be able to receive the gratification of being that kind of specialist.…”

Career perspectives of senior dental students from different backgrounds at a single Middle Eastern institution

“…Personal desire and affordability of specialty programs were the factors with the highest impact among our participants. Shin et al reported that enjoyment of providing a given type of specialty service was the leading influential factor deciding the specialty choice for students at Harvard School of Dental Medicine surveyed at two independent occasions with a five year interval; 2008 and 2013 [ 26 ]. In the same study, the importance of the cost of the specialty program did not reach significance.…”

A survey of undergraduate orthodontic teaching and factors affecting pursuit of postgraduate training

“…Previous research in the U.S. has indicated that educational debt in excess of $100,000 was the strongest predictor of a decision to enter private practice 28 . A requirement for mentoring to ensure that students opt for specialist training due to genuine personal interest rather than financial burden has therefore been suggested in U.S. dental schools 29 Increased availability of part-time training programmes or indeed combined training within hospital and specialist practice settings may help to mitigate these financial issues, although both require significant educational and infrastructural changes if high standards of training are to be protected.…”