Student perception of faculty role models.

Few studies have been conducted on the effect of faculty role models on dental students. Questionnaires were developed to compare faculty self-perceptions with dental students' perceptions of the role they desired to achieve. Results indicated a minimal relationship between the self-perceptions of faculty and the students' identification of their desired future role in the dental profession. Furthermore, faculty were not perceived by students as being the most influential in molding their feelings about the practice of dentistry.