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Objectives To investigate final-year dental students' perceived motivation for choosing dentistry as a professional career at one dental school in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Method Final-year dental students of Ajman University (n = 87) completed a questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analysis of the data were undertaken using statistical software. Results A response rate of 82% (n = 71) was achieved, 65% of whom were female. Students ranged from 21 to 29 years of age. Motivation to study dentistry was led by a ‘desire to work in health care’ (93%), ‘wish to provide a public service’ (88.7%) and because ‘degree leads to a recognised job’ (84.5%). Males were significantly more likely to report ‘high income’ (84% vs. 67%; P = 0.01) and females ‘influence of family’ (80% vs. 60%; P = 0.02) as motivating influences. The reliability and internal consistency of the instrument as calculated by Cronbach's alpha was 0.82. Eight factors explaining the 71% of the variation were: ‘professional job factors’ (11.7%), ‘experience and advice’ (9.8%), ‘business and financial with independence’ (9.7%), ‘careers, advice and possibilities’ (8.9%), ‘knowledge and job security’ (8.8%), ‘health care, people and public service’ (8%), ‘family and friends’ (7.2%) and ‘career in dentistry’ (6.9%). Gender was a significant predictor of ‘business and financial’ factor (b = −0.76; P = 0.003) and age for ‘careers in dentistry’ (b = −0.18; P = 0.03). Conclusion Students are motivated by a wide range of factors similar to those found in other studies; however, business features and family influences were significantly associated with gender.

The objective of this study is to describe aspects of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in a cohort of hospital patients in Libya. The patterns of clinical presentation of oral squamous OSCC in 122 Libyan patients from 1979-2004 were retrospectively analysed. Men were affected more often than women with the average age at presentation 53 years. Just over half the patients had symptoms for more than six months prior to presentation. The tongue and floor of the mouth were the most commonly affected sites. In 30.3% of patients the OSCC presented as an ulcer, in 20.4% as a swelling, and in 19% as a white patch. The majority of the patients had stage III or IV disease when first examined. Nearly 80% of the patients were tobacco smokers. It was concluded that the pattern of clinical occurrence of OSCC in Libya was similar to previous reports from Western Europe and Asia. The results of the present study highlight the need for an appropriate strategy to prevent OSCC and reduce delays in the diagnosis and treatment of such disease in Libya. Key Words: Libya; Malignancy; Oral; Squamous cell carcinoma

Objectives: To find the relationship of diabetes control to periodontal status in type 1 diabetic patients and to compare the severity of periodontal disease of type-1 diabetics (IDDM) and non-diabetics and to further compare the periodontal status in the controlled and uncontrolled diabetics in a group of Libyan population to form a baseline reference for future researches.Materials & Methods: The periodontal status of 30 diabetic and 30 control subjects was examined. The diabetic group was further subdivided into controlled and uncontrolled groups.Results: There were significant differences between the whole diabetic group and the control group in terms of the periodontal status. A comparison between the controls and diabetic subgroups revealed that controlled diabetic patients had poor periodontal health than controls. Within the diabetic subgroups, there was more loss of attachment in the uncontrolled diabetics.Conclusion: Better periodontal health in the diabetic patients may be related to good control of diabetes, indicating better resistance of the periodontium.

BackgroundNew dental schools have been established to train dentists in many parts of the world. This study examines the future dental workforce from the first dental school in the United Arab Emirates [UAE]; the aim of this study was to explore the short and long-term career aspirations of the final year dental students in the UAE in relation to their demography.MethodFinal year dental students of the Ajman University’s College of Dentistry (n=87) were invited to participate in a self-completion questionnaire survey. Descriptive analysis, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were carried out on career aspirations using SPSS v20.ResultsEighty-two percent of students (n=71) responded, the majority of whom were female (65%; n=46). Ethnicity was reported as: ‘other Arab’ (61%; n=43), ‘Emirati’ (17%, n=12), and ‘Other’ (21%, n=15). In the short-term, 41% (n=29) expressed a desire to work in government training centres, with Emirati students significantly more likely to do so (p=0.002). ‘Financial stability’ (80%; n=57) and ‘gaining professional experience’ (76%; n=54) emerged as the most important influences on their short-term career plans. The vast majority of students wished to specialise in dentistry (92%; n=65) in the longer term; logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of specialising in the most popular specialties of Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery were less for the ‘Other’ ethnic group when compared with ‘Emirati’ students (0.26; 95% CI 0.068-0.989; p=0.04). Almost three-quarters of the students overall (72%; n=51) intended to work full-time. ‘High income/financial security’ (97%; n=69), ‘standard of living’ (97%; n=69), ‘work/life balance’ (94%; n=67), and ‘professional fulfilment’ (87%; n=62) were reported by the students as the most influential items affecting their long-term professional career choices.ConclusionThe findings suggest that students aspire to make a long-term contribution to the profession and there is a high level of interest in specialisation with a desire to achieve financial stability and quality of life.