Professional Documents
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Methods
After signing an informed consent, which was
reviewed and approved at the institutional level,
500 students enrolled in UST dental courses were
recruited for this study. An anonymous questionnaire
was distributed by the author and his assistants to
students from years 1 to 5 and to internship students
at the UST (Faculty of Dentistry) in Sanaa, Yemen.
UST was Yemens first private university, and it was
approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and
Research in 1994. The UST dentistry program lasts
five years, with the addition of one year of internship,
which can be completed either in the dental school or
in any hospital outside the dental school. Generally
speaking, entrance to the program depends on the
results of the Yemeni Certicate of General Secondary Education or its equivalent, and a high level of
academic performance (a high grade point average
[GPA]) is necessary for entry into a career as a dentist.
The inclusion criterion for this study was any
dental students who are Yemeni citizens. Exclusion
criteria consisted of the lack of informed consent or
willingness to participate in the study. The questionnaire used in the study was based on previous studies13,14 and included questions regarding the students
demographic and educational profile. Four questions
addressed their economic (easy to find jobs, I can
make lots of money, stable jobs, higher payment),
professional (I can work in many fields, I can do my
Table 1. Demographic and educational profile of students participating in study, by number and percentage
Variable
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n (%)
Gender
Male
Female
69 (23.0%)
231 (77.0%)
Marital state
Single
Married
269 (89.7%)
31 (10.3%)
26 (8.7%)
38 (12.7%)
64 (21.3%)
72 (24.0%)
91 (30.3%)
9 (3.0%)
163 (54.3%)
137 (45.7%)
Results
There were a total of 300 out of 500 responses
recorded for this study (the response rate for the study
was 60 percent). Table 1 shows the demographic
profile of 300 subjects classified according to age
and gender. The participants consisted of 231 (77.0
percent) females and sixty-nine (23.0 percent) males.
Students ages ranged from eighteen to thirty-two
years, with an overall mean of 22.8 years (2.1).
Regarding marital status, the results showed that
the majority of the participants were single (89.7
percent) and 10.3 percent were married. The results
showed that most participants were fifth-years (30.3
percent), followed by fourth-years (24.0 percent), and
Discussion
This study identified a number of factors directly related to choosing dentistry as a career by
Yemeni dental students who attended UST and data
on the persons who most influenced the selection
of this career. As the choice of a career is a critical
decision that has an obvious impact on a future life
pattern, it is important to understand the priorities and
sociodemographic backgrounds of those choosing
to study dentistry. This is because economic factors
may influence an individuals level of commitment
to the profession and the decision may affect ones
satisfaction with the career. While some individuals
enter careers with extensive knowledge and realistic
expectations, others may find themselves in occupations not really knowing why they were pushed in
Table 2. Respondents reasons for choosing dentistry as a career by gender, by number and percentage
Variable
Economic
Easy to find jobs.
I can make lots of money.
Stable jobs.
Payment is better.
32 (46.4%)
11 (15.9%)
13 (18.8%)
13 (18.8%)
102 (44.2%)
52 (22.5%)
50 (21.6%)
27 (11.7%)
134 (44.7%)
63 (21.0%)
63 (21.0%)
40 (13.3%)
Professional reasons
I can work in many fields.
I can do my own work.
I can be my own boss.
Challenging and interesting career.
23 (33.3%)
18 (26.1%)
15 (21.7%)
13 (18.8%)
76 (32.9%)
71 (30.7%)
45 (19.5%)
39 (16.9%)
99 (33.0%)
89 (29.7%)
60 (20.0%)
52 (17.3%)
0.34
0.88
Vocational
I like to interact with others.
26 (37.7%)
66 (28.6%)
92 (30.7%)
I like to treat people to improve their health.
17 (24.6%)
100 (34.3%)
117 (39.0%)
I like to help people.
26 (37.7%)
65 (28.1%)
91 (30.3%)
0.02*
Personal
I previously worked in fields related to dentistry.
My family dentist encouraged me.
My family and friends encouraged me.
30 (43.5%)
18 (26.1%)
21 (30.4%)
71 (30.7%)
94 (40.7%)
66 (28.6%)
101 (33.7%)
112 (37.3%)
87 (29.0%)
0.06
*Significant at p<0.05.
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Response
n (%)
Good staff
Yes
No
Undecided
158 (52.7%)
117 (39.0%)
25 (8.3%)
University contact
Yes
No
Undecided
257 (85.7%)
37 (12.3%)
6 (2.0%)
Yes
No
Undecided
99 (33.0%)
170 (56.7%)
31 (10.3%)
Yes
No
Undecided
192 (64.0%)
85 (28.3%)
23 (7.7%)
Too long
Reasonable
Too short
Undecided
68 (22.7%)
204 (68.0%)
22 (7.3%)
6 (2.0%)
Table 4. Responses for person influencing students choice of dentistry as a career, by number and percentage
Influence on choice/decision
Self-motivation
Father
Mother
Relative or family friend
Family dentist
Other person within the dental profession
Vocational counselor
School teacher
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Little
Medium
Moderate
Strong
Very Strong
51 (17.0%)
23 (7.7%)
16 (5.3%)
45 (15.0%)
86 (28.7%)
76 (25.3%)
108 (36.0%)
123 (41.0%)
18 (6.0%)
33 (11.0%)
35 (11.7%)
39 (13.0%)
54 (18.0%)
73 (24.3%)
92 (30.7%)
72 (24.0%)
53 (17.7%)
51 (17.0%)
63 (21.0%)
95 (31.7%)
99 (33.0%)
89 (29.7%)
72 (24.0%)
64 (21.3%)
61 (20.3%)
76 (25.3%)
77 (25.7%)
60 (20.0%)
32 (10.7%)
49 (16.3%)
18 (6.0%)
27 (9.0%)
117 (39.0%)
117 (39.0%)
109 (36.3%)
61 (20.3%)
29 (9.7%)
13 (4.3%)
10 (3.3%)
14 (4.7%)
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Conclusions
Based on the obtained results, this study concludes that the Yemeni dental students reasons for
choosing dentistry as a profession were economic
rather than vocational. However, vocational reasons
were also found to be significant factors for choosing
dentistry as a career by both genders in this group of
dental students.
Acknowledgments
REFERENCES
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