Dental Student's Perspective of Specialization in Orthodontics; Diş Hekimliği Fakültesi Öğrencilerinin Ortodonti Uzmanlığına Bakış Açıları

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study is to identify the factors that play a role in the career choices of dentistry students, to determine the future plans about dental specialities and the opinions on specialization in the Orthodontics Department. Methods: An epidemiological descriptive study was conducted consisting of a 10-question questionnaire applied to 157 students (115 females, 42 males) studying in the fourth (n=83) and fifth year (n=74) at Kirikkale University, Dentistry Faculty. The data’s were analyzed with Chi-square test. Results: The mean age of the 157 individuals were 22,96±1,26 years with a range of 20-27 years. The majority of the students (59%) were aware of the Orthodontics in the pre-college period. 56% of the respondents stated that the need for Orthodontist will be in the future. The three departments which specialization was desired respectively Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (%20), Orthodontics (%17.2) and Pedodontics (%13.8). The most effective dental specialty in terms of patient care and dentistry was found as Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Orthodontics was not effective in these categories. The students reported that the most important reason they want to specialize in orthodontics was financial gain with a rate of 35.7%. Conclusion: Factors such as clinical experiences, financial gain, and interest were found important in the selection of dental specialties. It was seen that specialization in the orthodontics department is highly desired. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.