Motivations for studying dentistry among first-year dental students

Reasons for choosing dentistry as a profession were analysed among first-year dental students at the University of Toronto. The motivations of various sub-groups were also examined. It was found that an extrinsic motivation, financial rewards, was the most widespread, although the other widely chosen motivations referred mainly to intrinsic aspects of the profession such as working with and for people, stimulating work, and being autonomous. Cross-tabulation analysis and mutli-variate analysis of the motivations of various socio-demographic sub-groups were carried out. Three sub-groups showed more extrinsic orientations than the class as a whole: those of "other" religious preference; students feeling different from their classmates; and those from medium-sized towns. The most intrinsically oriented groups were: older students; those high in SES; and Jewish students.