Title: Assessment of dental students’ perception of dentistry as a career option. Aim: To assess the dental students’ perceptions of dentistry as a career choice in a dental teaching institute, Karnataka state, India, Introduction: Career choice is a complex multifaceted process affecting all aspects of life. It is important to understand students’ motives behind choosing a specific career. Hence this study is designed with the aim to evaluate the factors influencing dental students to choose dentistry as a career. Method: A cross sectional survey was conducted on 250 dental students of first to final year dental colleges in the city of Mangalore, Karnataka, India. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire consisting of 11 reasons that possibly influenced the students’ decision to study dentistry. The data was analysed using SPSS20 software. Results: It was found that 38.7% of I BDS students, 31% of II BDS students, and 61.9% of IV BDS students took up dentistry since they missed a medical seat. About 52.9% of III BDS students chose dentistry since they had an interest/liking for the same.