Dental education and early careers of Canadian dentists: changes in attitudes, aspirations, and behavior

Longitudinal data on two cohorts of Canadian dental students are examined in order to determine the nature of the changes in attitudes and aspirations which students experience during their undergraduate dental training and the extent to which attitudes and aspirations which students hold on graduation are consistent with subsequent attitudes and behavior in practice. Data are presented on three dimensions of career-related attitudes and behavior: (1) aspirations toward and actual involvement in alternative practice settings, (2) attitudes and behavior related to selected professional and community activities, and (3) attitudes toward specific issues in dentistry. The results indicate that the dental school has little influence on students for the dimensions considered and suggest that analysis of both student backgrounds and the early practice experience of dental graduates may be the key to understanding the career behavior of dental graduates.