Professionalism and professional identity formation in dental students: Revisiting the professional role orientation inventory (PROI)

Professionalism is a hallmark of health professions education. Professional identity formation is a growing field of exploration in medical education, and the dental literature is sparse on just how professional identity formation is developed and assessed within dental education. Dental students’ scores denote a continued commitment to others yet a feeling of less sense of control as a practicing professional. A redefining of professionalism to include social activism and advancing health equity is required given their altruism and commitment to others, which remains high.