Educational debt and the gender gap: Understanding factors influencing orthodontists' career decisions.

Introduction: Orthodontic residents face challenges unparalleled to their predecessors, including competitive marketplaces, rising debt burdens, and changing demographics that have contributed to the shift in initial career choice from owner to employee. We aim to understand factors important to orthodontists at different career stages and the impact on job satisfaction through a sequential mixed methodology study.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 orthodontic residents and practitioners.