Practice Patterns and Satisfaction with Dental School Preparation

Objectives:  Increased numbers of females entering dentistry has changed the demographics of the profession, including that of most student bodies.  This change has the potential to affect the manner in which curricular preparation is perceived.  Purpose:  The purpose of this study was to examine the effect various practice patterns had on the level of satisfaction with dental school preparation and to determine if any gender-based differences existed.  Methods:  A total of 1594 surveys were sent to dentists who graduated from Creighton University between 1985 and 2005 and 485 were returned (30.4%).  Respondents answered questions regarding practice patterns and rated their satisfaction with their preparation in the following 15 curricular disciplines:  community dentistry, endodontics, oral pathology, operative dentistry, oral diagnosis, oral surgery, craniofacial development, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, fixed prosthodontics, removable prosthodontics, radiology, behavioral sciences, practice administration, and anatomic sciences.  Results:  Chi square goodness of fit (c²) demonstrated a significant difference between males and females who received and responded to the survey (c² = 10.67, p < 0.01) with a higher percentage of females responding.  Operative dentistry received the highest ratings for satisfaction and practice administration received the lowest.  Multiple regression analysis indicated that interaction with patients, continuing education opportunities, average hours worked per week, third party payment opportunities, and having paid off educational debt contributed significantly to the level of satisfaction with dental training (F = 4.24, p < 0.036).  Neither gender nor any of the other ten practice patterns investigated made an independent contribution to the level of satisfaction with dental school preparation (p > 0.05).  Conclusion:   Several practice patterns were shown to influence satisfaction with dental school training, however, gender did not.