Dental students' motivations for their career choice: an international investigative report.

This study's aim was to investigate on an international scale the reasons why individuals are currently choosing dentistry as a career. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on a cohort of first-year dental students from thirteen countries on six continents in 2011-12 (n=711). Participants completed the Du Toit Questionnaire for Health Workers and Students, designed for this study, to disclose the reason(s) why they chose a career in dentistry.

Attitudes of South African dental therapy students toward compulsory community service.

Compulsory community service (CCS) was introduced into the health service by the South African government to address the shortage and maldistribution of health professionals within the public sector. The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of dental therapy students regarding CCS. A self-administered questionnaire was delivered to the two dental schools that train dental therapists in South Africa.