Motives to enter the dental profession: students, practitioners, faculty.

1. The dental student, the private practitioner, and the dental educator have similar self-motives related to an educational process which includes learning to develop to full potential and having the freedom to carry out one's ideas. 2. The motives perceived by dental students as important for the private practitioner are not the same as those the private practitioner perceives for himself. The student perceives good salary and a community reputation, while the practitioner perceives a continual educational process with freedom to carry out his ideas as the primary motive for entering the profession. The student and the practitioner are aligned on most of their self-motives. 3. The motives of the dental educator parallel those of the practitioner more than they parallel those of the student.