RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: For dental graduates, internships are a vital transitional phase that gives them the invaluable opportunity to close the gap between their academic studies and the reality of professional dentistry. Research on dental internships remains limited and most of the existing studies focus on the clinical aspects of dental internships with little attention given to dental interns' experiences overall. This study aims to bridge this gap in the literature by gaining an in-depth understanding of Saudi dental graduates' range of experiences as dental interns. METHODS: To achieve the research objective, this study adopted a qualitative approach. Using purposive and snowball sampling, the study recruited 23 dental interns from Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia, who had completed at least nine months of their internship. Data was gathered across three months via diaries and virtual semi-structured interviews based on participants' preferences. The data was then analysed thematically using an inductive analytical strategy. RESULTS: The data analysis revealed three major themes and four sub-themes regarding the experiences of dental interns. The core three themes were "activities", "autonomy" and "transitioning to a balanced life" whereby interns have the time and freedom to explore their interests, rekindle their social lives and focus on self-care, resulting in a better work-life balance. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that dental interns will benefit from the retention and strengthening of key internship activities such as research, community work and clinical rotations. Additionally, the experiences of dental interns can be improved by encouraging interns to progress in their clinical training with a high level of autonomy. Also, due to the limited research in this area, further studies are required to improve our understanding of the lived experiences of dental interns and dental internships in general.