The Relationship between Professor Support, Clinical Practice Satisfaction, and Career Decision Level of Dental Hygiene Students

Background: Dental hygiene students face critical career decisions during their undergraduate studies.Professor support and satisfaction with clinical practice are important external factors influencing students' career decision levels.Understanding these relationships can inform the development of effective career guidance programs.Methods: A self-administered survey was conducted from May 1 to May 18, 2025, among dental hygiene students with clinical practice experience.Data from 190 participants were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), employing descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis.Results: On a 5-point scale, the mean scores were 3.900.72for professor support, 3.850.62for clinical practice satisfaction, and 3.180.87for career decision level.Career decision level was positively correlated with both professor support and clinical practice satisfaction.Multiple regression analysis identified professor support and clinical practice experience in dental clinics as significant predictors of career decision level, accounting for 17.4% of the variance.Conclusion: Professor support and the quality of clinical practice environments are key factors in enhancing career decision levels among dental hygiene students.Strengthening faculty-student interactions and offering diverse clinical experiences may improve students' clarity and confidence in their career choices.These findings highlight the need for structured career counseling programs and faculty development initiatives to better support students' career development.