Dental students’ perceptions of specialty training and career choice

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Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate dental school students' views on postgraduate specialty training and to examine the effect of their academic career plans on their choice of specialty. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with students enrolled in a dental school during the 2024–2025 academic year. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Dicle University Faculty of Dentistry (Protocol no: 2023-41). A total of 458 students voluntarily responded to the online questionnaire, which consisted of 14 questions. The data were evaluated using descriptive and comparative statistical analyses with the SPSS (Version 25.0) program. Results: Preclinical students comprise 52.3% of the participants, while clinical students comprise 47.7%. More than half had already heard of the concept of specialty training before entering dental school, and the vast majority agreed that specialty training is necessary in dentistry. The most preferred specialty area was Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (38.6%). 88% of participants stated that they plan to pursue specialty training after graduation. The most frequently cited reasons for pursuing specialty training were professional development (27.2%), financial gain (13.2%), academic career goals (11.3%), and personal interest (10.5%). While some differences were found based on educational level, no differences were observed based on gender (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that dental students are highly motivated regarding their specialty training and career plans. The timing of specialty awareness and the reasons for preference indicate that informative and guiding activities should be increased throughout undergraduate education to enable students to make more informed career choices.

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