Factors Associated with the Migration Intention of Clinical Dental Students in a Nigerian Institution: A Preliminary...

International migration of health workers is not a new phenomenon, but has been on the increase in recent times and may not change soon. This study assessed the migration intention of clinical students studying Dental Surgery in a Nigerian institution. It specifically assessed the reasons behind the intention and the plan to return afterwards.

This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 136 clinical dental students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Data on socio-demographic profile, migration intention, reasons for migration, and intention to return was collected using self-administered questionnaires. Prevalence of migration intention and the association between age, sex, class level, and intention to migrate was conducted using Chi square test. All the associated factors were considered significant if P < 0.05. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine factors that are associated with migration before housemanship.

There were 61 (44.9%) male and 75 (55.1%) female study participants giving a response rate of 136 (90.7%) out of 150 questionnaires shared. Their age ranged from 21 to 32 years and the mean age was 24.32 ± 2.0 years. One hundred and fourteen (83.8%) of the study participants had the intention of migrating after graduation. Lack of facilities 105 (77.2%) and poor management of the health sector 104 (76.5%) were the major reasons for migrating.

Majority of the students have the intention of migrating to other countries and a quarter do not intend to return. Poor management of health sector and the desire to gain clinical experience were major factors that affected migration intention.