[Causes of interruption of dental studies and subsequent change in careers]

During recent years an increasing number of dental students at the University of Oslo used prolonged student time and graduated with mediocre results, or interrupted studies without graduation Jacobsen, Acta Odontol Scand 45:399-408, 1987). The present investigation aimed at clarifying the reasons for interrupted studies and at getting information about subsequent career. Semistructured questionnaires on curricular and socioeconomic causes for drop-out and on subsequent career were mailed to 98 persons who had quit dental studies during a 10-year period. Free comments on circumstances relevant to their drop-out were encouraged. The following findings are based on 68 replies (69 per cent): Sixty-three students (93 per cent) quit dental school for different curricular reasons, a majority of which was "more interest in other subjects". Contributory factors of socioeconomic nature, mostly future unemployment concern, were often mentioned. Forty-five (66 per cent) later graduated with university degrees in medicine, economics, veterinary medicine, science, technology, law etc, and the remainder, except two persons, finished up to 4 years of studies at regional colleges or similar institutions. Free comments focused on curricular, pedagogical, and social shortcomings at the dental faculty. The findings indicated that a large majority of the students who dropped out did so for lack of stimulation by the dental curriculum and not for lack of academic potential. Only a few students quit because, in their own description, they were immature for university studies at the time, or because they had "academic" difficulties with the early science/biology courses or with the preclinical technique courses.