Attitude Of General Dentist Towards Their Profession

Medicine and engineering still seems to be the most chosen career and the decision in the choice largely influenced by the parents. Right attitude toward the chosen profession and the perceptions about the existing curriculum are important for any student to be successful in the college as well as in the career. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 100 BDS (bachelor of dental surgery) students from Saveetha dental college, Tamil Nadu to assess their attitude and perception toward their profession. A validated closed ended questionnaire with 10 questions was used in this study. The information obtained were: Reason to opt for the dental course, adequacy of lecture and clinical hours, and the number and duration of lecture classes and clinical hours preferred. The proportion of the response was calculated to assess the overall attitude and perceptions of the students. Seventy nine percent of the students opted for the dental course because they did not get admission to the medical course and they considered dentistry as their second option. Majority of the students developed passion toward their profession. There was no serious complains about the existing curriculum, but a newer education model that can enhance the problem solving, and critical evaluation skills of the student is warranted.