Evaluation of level of professional satisfaction among final year students and interns of dental colleges in India

Aim: Due to the fewer number of postgraduate seats available, it is found that many Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) undergraduate students are dissatisfied, and thus this study was carried out to ascertain the level of professional satisfaction and various factors contributing to dissatisfaction about BDS career among undergraduate students of dental colleges of Nagpur region (Maharashtra–India). Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based study was conducted in July–September, 2013 at Vidya Shikshan Prasarak Mandal's (VSPM's) Dental College and Research Centre, Nagpur. A questionnaire was prepared consisting of 10 questions related to various facets of the level of satisfaction about the dental profession. Ethical approval for conducting the survey was obtained from the ethical committee of VSPM's Dental College and Research Centre, Nagpur. The questionnaire was validated and was distributed to final year students and interns of 3 dental colleges in this region. Two hundred and five final year students and interns out of 400 (51%) were responded to the questionnaire, and the results were tabulated and analyzed. Result: Thirty-eight percentage (77) would recommend BDS course as a career option to others. Over 75% opined that postgraduation education is must in the profession. A significant number of students (38%) opined that they will opt for short term courses like esthetic dentistry, implant etc., other than postgraduation. Conclusions: This concluded that many of them would like to pursue postgraduation degree in various specialties, as well as short term courses such as esthetic dentistry and implants for better career prospects.