| Summary: | Objective: This study aimed to analyse the impact of sociodemographic factors on dental school candidates' decision to pursue dentistry as their career of choice. Materials and Methods: Candidates shortlisted by three dental schools were invited to participate in a self-administered questionnaire study, featuring a validated instrument containing sociodemographic questions and 16 motivational items grouped into four domains: economic, professional, vocational and personal background reasons. The variations in motivational item scores across sociodemographic factors were assessed using the Mann–Whitney U test (age, sex, ethnicity, having relatives in the dental profession and dentistry as the first choice) and Kruskal–Wallis test (dental school and family income). Results: A total of 295 dental school candidates participated in the study (Universiti Teknologi MARA: 137; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia: 99; MAHSA University: 59). Approximately 95% of participants identified dentistry as their primary career choice, with the vocational motivation of ‘I like to help people’ being the most prominent motivational factor. Dental school emerged as the critical factor significantly influencing three quarters of the motivational items. Sex, ethnicity and having relatives in the dental profession were the remaining factors significantly associated with variations in certain motivational items. Both dental school and ethnicity significantly affected four motivational domains (economic, professional, vocational and personal background). Conclusion: This study provides an insightful overview of the sociodemographic factors that impact career decision-making among prospective dental students. The scores for most motivational items varied among shortlisted candidates in three dental schools. The findings hold implications for policy development in dentistry by universities and public policymakers. © 2024 The Author(s). European Journal of Dental Education published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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