Women Dentists Research Articles

Uncover your inner power: Breaking leadership biases in global healthcare.

Women currently represent approximately 70% of the global healthcare workforce, 60.9% of the global dental workforce, 77.6% of the US healthcare workforce, and 36.7% of the US dental workforce. The American Dental Association states that the number of practicing women dentists in the United States has increased by 2.25 times since 2001, with a projected trajectory to level off by 2040. Despite having a major impact on the healthcare sector globally, women earn 24% less than men and only serve in 25% of senior leadership positions. In the US dental schools, only 14% of faculty serve in administrative roles, and as of April 2022, 28.6% of the US dental school deans were women, indicating gender underrepresentation in the highest roles of academic leadership. This corresponds to the data on gender parity still not being the norm in many societies and workplaces and can be attributed to public policies, stereotypical perceptions, and individual factors. Five key factors have been identified to be crucial for women's entry or advancement in global health leadership: a) public policy, b) community, c) institutional, d) interpersonal, and e) individual. Individual self-improvement and institutional practices may be used to overcome these barriers to women's leadership in healthcare and shift the power dynamics toward reinforcing gender equality. These transformative changes are measured through women's collective capacities and skills, relationship dynamics, community perceptions, and environmental practices. This article recognizes the present obstacles to women in healthcare leadership and proposes strategies to achieve gender equality both through individual and institutional practices.

Famous women in dentistry – the 20th century. Part II

Famous women in dentistry – the 20th century. Part II

Why are More Women Choosing a Career in Dentistry in Nepal?

Dentistry is a very compassionate field, making it perfect for anybody who wishes to assist others. Dentistry has always been a male-dominated field, but in the last two to three decades more and more women have started going to dental college, and the percentage of women in dentistry has been gradually increasing. There are now more women dentists than ever, and at present women graduates in dentistry outnumber men. Female dentists may find it difficult to strike a healthy work-life balance, but many of them do it with success. Given their intelligence, creativity, and resourcefulness, women are all powerful forces to be reckoned with. They serve as role models and aid others in successfully pursuing careers in dentistry. The behavioral mecha- nisms behind the choice of career differ between men and women, and the inclination to care for others is thought by some to be more present in women than it is in men. This article discusses the reasons that lead more and more women to choose dentistry as a profession in Nepal.

Green Dental Environmentalism among Students and Dentists in Greece

Ηuman sustainability in dental enterprises, as in every workplace, is connected to air and water quality, eco-friendly and naturally designed working spaces, and the culture of the 4Rs. The purpose of this study was to assess pro-environmental behavior, as well as knowledge of preferences for circular economies and green building construction, among a sample of dental students and dentists in Greece. We further assessed the factors influencing their choices. Students (N1 = 93) and dentists (N2 = 126) filled in e-questionnaires from April to December 2022. The data revealed that both students and dentists lack knowledge about the circular economy (N1 = 67.74%, N2 = 68.25%), EU regulations on amalgam disposal (N1 = 64.51%, N2 = 58.73%), and plastic recycling (N1 = 76.34%, N2 = 76.98%); meanwhile, they do recycle at home (N1 = 80.64%, N2 = 82.54%) and have participated in voluntary environmental initiatives (N1 = 58.06%, N2 = 66.66%). Gender influences the importance of factors related to green dental practices, with women students being more likely to agree that increased costs for network changes (p = 0.02) and poor wastewater management (p = 0.01) are significant. Students from urban areas are more likely to give positive answers to questions related to the lack of state financial support (p = 0.02), low levels of green design in buildings (p = 0.03), the negligible direct financial benefits of green dental offices (p = 0.04), the negligible reputational benefits of green dental offices (p = 0.02), and the lack of continuing education training seminars on green dentistry (p = 0.05). For dentists, no significant relationships were observed, except for a weak positive relationship for the increases in costs due to changes related to utility networks (p = 0.08), while increases in waste energy (p = 0.12) and the waste of dental materials (p = 0.19) seemed significant only for dentists in urban areas. Women dentists were more likely to answer positively regarding wasting energy (p = 0.024) and the use of unapproved disinfection products (p = 0.036). The findings contribute ideas and solutions for green dental practice buildings and sustainable behaviors through educational activities and regarding the social aspects of factors such as age, experience in dentistry, gender, and urbanism. This study also provides a basis for future multi-disciplinary research on dental quality assurance, the psychology of environmentalism, economics, and behavioral science in dentistry.

Exploring the impact of household, personal, and employment characteristics on dentistry’s income gap between men and women

BackgroundThis study provides an update on the income gap between men and women in dentistry, evaluating the impact of dentists’ household, personal, and employment characteristics on income differences. MethodsThis cross-sectional study used data from the US Census Bureau’s 5-year American Community Survey (2014-2018). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis (ordinary least squares regressions, Oaxaca-Blinder regression decomposition on logged personal income). ResultsFemale dentists were less likely to be White and born in the United States and more likely to be bilingual than male dentists. Adjusted estimates indicated that male dentists earned 22% more than female dentists (risk ratio, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.29). Black dentists earned 24% less (risk ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.85) and other race non-Hispanic dentists earned 17% less (risk ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.70 to 0.97) than non-Hispanic White dentists, after adjustment for covariates. Dentists with a nondentist partner or spouse earned more than those without a partner or spouse, and dentists with 3 or more children earned 19% more than those who were childless (P < .001; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.31). The income gap between sexes was $51,784 (in 2018 dollars); 27.2% of this gap was explained by observable personal (that is, race and ethnicity, bilingualism), employment (for example, hours worked and employee or ownership status), and household (for example, partner or spouse occupation and education) characteristics. ConclusionsThe dental workforce is diversifying, but sex and racial disparities in income persist. The income gap between sexes, although reduced over time, is now less explainable than in the past. Practical ImplicationsThe diversification of the dental workforce is a promising sign for an increasingly diverse population’s present and future oral health, but it is important that existing income gaps between men and women are addressed.

Famous women in dentistry – 18th-19th centuries. Part II

The emancipation of women in both Europe and the USA really began in the second half of the 19th century. After the end of the First World War, women acquired, in addition to the legal right to vote, the right to practice professions that were once completely forbidden to them. Among these professions that have long been forbidden for women to practice, is the profession of dentist. In this article, we presented several biographies of the representatives of the fairer sex who practiced the profession of dentist.

Famous women in dentistry – the 20th century. Part I

Famous women in dentistry – the 20th century. Part I

Legendary Women in Dentistry: Racquel Z. LeGeros.

Racquel LeGeros' life demonstrates an inspirational phenomenon by which, through scholarly and academic production, one woman can have a dramatic effect shaping society. Although famous for her focus on biomaterials, ranging from bioceramics to calcium phosphates, her personal experiences likely shaped her work in public health, which took aim at oral health disparities. LeGeros left her home in Manila, Philippines and came to Manhattan at 18 years old to pursue her Master's degree at New York University. She served with great distinction NYU for over 50 years, rising to the rank of professor and associate chair of the Department of Biomaterials and Biomimetics. Her life experience allowed her to improve conditions for others like her. Her roles in life, the oldest daughter of eight children, a mother and a wife, likely gave her the tools to mentor. Not only did teaching and mentorship within her laboratory research generate a pipeline of independent researchers carrying forward biomaterials research, development, and implementation, but it also exemplified inclusion of individuals from a variety of demographics around the world who, today as independent scientists, bring diverse perspectives to science. A thorough evaluation of her over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers, tells a story that extends beyond the very important pioneering strides beyond materials development and public health dentistry. Her career arc amplifies the understanding of how scientific discovery translates to improve and upgrade society. LeGeros' progressive and comprehensive mindset is evident as she considered the implications of her science on larger problems facing society, dedicating her investigations to uncovering the causes and structures that reify healthcare inequity. Beyond clinical science, LeGeros applied research findings to improve health equity, social justice. Through her work and its impact on society, Dr. Racquel LeGeros is a remarkable figure.

Dentistry and Embroidery in 1890s Utah: The Work of Kate D. Barron Buck

Dentistry and Embroidery in 1890s Utah: The Work of Kate D. Barron Buck

EXPLORING THE FLEXIBILITY OF ESP MATERIALS THROUGH THE IPO MODEL: CORPUS AND CONSUMER INSIGHTS FROM THE TURKISH EFL CONTEXT

Unlike previous research, which tended to exclusively conduct expert/user evaluation and rely heavily on subjective survey data for simply ascertaining general satisfaction with a fixed predetermined set of coursebook features, this multimethod study sought to provide a holistic, multidimensional and thus more realistic assessment of coursebook performance through conflating objective information on its compositionality with reflective user knowledge about the actual functioning. Therefore, we used the inputs-processes-outcomes (IPO) model for the deconstruction of a global coursebook in dental English, based the expert review on corpus findings and complemented it with the less-studied student-users’ (87 sophomores from a Turkish-medium dental school of a large urban public university) retrospective evaluation against preferred criteria. The corpus-based IPO analysis of the coursebook (non-)texts and content analysis of their post-use reflections revealed that the students, with a mildly positive orientation, were more concerned with: the scope of content-knowledge, visuality and text quality presented by the inputs; amount and nature of language practice, opportunities for oral fluency development and independent learning, and also acquisition of disciplinary vocabulary triggered by the processes, whereas the material proved efficient for: making core content accessible by pedagogically-prepared non-argumentative texts, introducing an egalitarian style of communication through created dentist-patient dialogues, ensuring ample practice in a non-threatening atmosphere with the right blend of pre-communicative and loosely-controlled communicative activities, developing formulaic sequences essentially for workplace transactions, building a carefully-selected repertoire of high-frequency dental words and teaching vocabulary directly with true-to-life photos. To achieve deeper learning outcomes than functional language mastery, it still needs transformation through: learner-compiled (e-)portfolios of academic and humorous genres, increased visibility for women dentists, creative use of illustrations, integration of cross-cultural elements, conscious attention to grammar and ludic language use and incorporation of service-learning projects on linguistic/cultural mediation.

Famous women in dentistry – 18th-19th centuries. Part I

The emancipation of women in both Europe and the USA really began in the second half of the 19th century. After the end of the First World War, women acquired, in addition to the legal right to vote, the right to practice professions that were once completely forbidden to them. Among these professions that have long been forbidden for women to practice, is the profession of dentist. In this material, we presented several biographies of the representatives of the fairer sex who practiced the profession of dentist.

Muslim women, uniforms and dentistry

Julie Bissett considers the options for Muslim women in dentistry and how they can adhere to their religious guidance on dress in line with uniform policy

The pandemic for women in dentistry: A hard row to hoe

The pandemic for women in dentistry: A hard row to hoe

A legelső fogorvosnők, a kezdet

Female professionals’ existence in dentistry is a result of ending slavery, emerging women's movements, progress towards a democratic state and wider dissemination of human rights. It was only at the end of the 19th century that women started their emancipation movement while leaving behind the narrow space of the household and equal to men populated the world of the business. However, it was a long way. Now we follow the life of the very first women in different countries demonstrating the problems they were facing: missing higher education, to be accepted by their patients and male family members. Since Western medicine claimed specific medical education to be a licensed practitioner, women found it much more difficult to enter the medical profession except midwifery. Nevertheless, we found in our research more among the first female dental practitioners who supported their husband, brother or father in their office. These women were brave and determined, tough, smart and hardworking, true heroes who faced all difficulties. They were active this way for a few hundred years, until the 1800s when the first graduated women dentists began practising. These women broke barriers in the world of dental care and demonstrated that dentistry was able to ensure bright smiles for their patients.

Indian women dentists perspectives towards balancing professional, personal and social responsibilities.

The literature on women in dentistry clearly shows the evolution and elevation of women in academic as well as clinical dentistry. Female dentists in India continue to face the need to balance their careers with the competing social and personal responsibilities of marriage, homemaking, and child rearing. To assess Indian Women Dentists perspectives towards balancing professional, personal, and social responsibilities. This cross-sectional study was conducted for 1 month among 159 female dental professionals comprising all the female dental practitioners in Rajahmundry city and all the female interns, postgraduates, and academicians from 2 dental institutions in Rajahmundry city. A 23-item pretested questionnaire was distributed to the participants on the first day and collected after 1 day. The results were analyzed using SPSS software (V.22). The categorical data were analyzed using the χ2 test and P ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Among the study participants, 79.2% of study participants agreed that family commitments were not obstacles for their career (P = 0.02), 86.2% responded that women should be successful in both home-making and career and 89.9% of participants reported as not regretting being women and this finding was found to be statistically significant. Majority of the women perceived that women ought to balance professional, personal, and social responsibilities equally.

A qualitative research analysis of gender-based parities and disparities at work place experienced by female dentists of Vadodara, India.

To assess the gender-based parities and disparities at work place experienced by female dentists of Vadodara, India. In-depth face-to-face qualitative semi-structured interviews in English were conducted among 12 female dentists of Vadodara. Female dentists working with one/more male colleague or auxiliary were selected through purposive sampling. Interviews were conducted as per Kvale's principles and recorded using a digital voice recorder. Transcribed data was analyzed using Giorgi's phenomenological analysis. The recurring themes identified were: (a) Striking work-family balance (b) Dependence on male authority for instating work discipline (c) Male dentists' hostility to "woman in power" concept (d) Male dentists' superiority in technical skills (e) privileges for women dentists. There is a need to improve the work environment of women dentists. Social support, sensitivity among male colleagues, and generous institutional policies will enable increased contribution from women to the profession.

MANAGEMENT OF PREGNANT PATIENT WITH MANDIBULAR INJURY

The management of pregnant women in dentistry is a challenge that requires attention and interdisciplinary care. This study reports the case of mandibular intraosseous lesion in pregnant women, addressing tomographic dose, type of anesthetic procedure, moment of intervention, and outcome of treatment. The patient is 44 years old with complaint of lack of sensitivity in the mental region. She was on the third gestational month, and had done cone beam tomography. Clinical examination revealed a slight increase in mandibular volume, absence of decayed teeth, or periodontal pocket in the involved teeth. After contact with the attending physician, an incisional biopsy was performed with 2% lidocaine with epinephrine, with diagnostic hypotheses of Central giant cell granuloma (CGCG), ameloblastoma, and aneurysmal bone cyst. After definitive diagnosis of CGCG, we chose to perform surgical treatment after childbirth. The patient returned 1 year later, and the lesion spontaneously regressed. After 2 years, computed tomography showed total wound healing.

Have Women Broken the Glass Ceiling in North American Dental Leadership?

In the last few decades, the number of women graduating from North American (NA) dental schools has increased significantly. Thus, we aimed to determine women's representation in leadership positions in NA dental and specialty associations/organizations, dental education, and dental journals, as well as the proportion of men/women researcher members of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR). We contacted NA dental associations to provide us with the total number and the men/women distribution of their members. Men/women distributions in leadership positions were accessible from the internet, as were data on the sex of deans of NA dental schools. Data on the editors in chief of NA dental journals were gathered from their websites, and the AADR provided the number and sex of its researcher members. Collected data underwent descriptive statistics and binomial tests (α = 0.05). Our findings suggest that women are underrepresented in leadership positions within the major NA dental professional associations. While the median ratio of women leaders to women members in professional associations is 0.91 in Canada, it is only 0.67 in the United States. The same underrepresentation of women is evident in the leadership of the Canadian Dental Association and the American Dental Association. We found that women are underrepresented as deans and editors in chief for NA oral health journals. Only 16 of 77 NA dental school deans are women, while 3 of 38 dental journals have women editors in chief. The probability of finding these ratios by chance is low. However, the number of women dental researcher AADR members underwent an overall increase in the past decade, while the number of men declined. These results suggest that, despite the increase in women dentists, it will take time and effort to ensure that they move through the pipeline to senior leadership positions in the same manner as their male colleagues.

Gender Differences in Academic Productivity and Advancement Among Dental School Faculty

Background: An equal number of women and men are now graduating from dental school, but women dentists have lower income and are less likely to achieve positions of leadership, including within dental academia. Materials and Methods: Demographic information and academic rank were obtained for all faculty at the eight dental schools who received the most funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research in 2017. Years since dental school graduation, total number of PubMed-indexed citations, first- and last-author publications, and H-index were determined for each faculty member. Gender differences in productivity and advancement were evaluated. Results: Of 702 faculty members, 36.5% were female; only 24.4% of full professors were women. Men had significantly higher numbers of publications (30.2 [95% confidence interval [CI, 28.6-39.5] vs. 20.4 [95% CI 16.3-24.6], p = 0.02) and higher H-index (8.2 [95% CI 7.1-9.1] vs. 4.7 [95% CI 3.9-5.5], p < 0.0001). Women had graduated more recently than their male colleagues at all levels of academic advancement (overall 22.83 years [95% CI 21.29-24.39] vs. 30.19 years [95% CI 28.84-31.55], p < 0.0001). When corrected for academic productivity and years since graduation, the association between gender and academic rank was not significant. Conclusions: Women are underrepresented at each academic rank except instructor; however, women may advance more quickly than their male counterparts. Increasing scholarship and mentorship opportunities for female faculty members may help improve gender equity in dental academia.

Balancing Profession, Family and Cultural Norms by Women Dentists in Pakistan

“Feminization of dentistry” in Pakistan is clearly visible in the gender distribution of an average dental class that boasts of 70% - 80% female students. Yet after graduation, many of these women choose not to pursue their careers, resulting in a void of practicing dentists in the country, despite an exponential increase in private sector dental colleges. This phenomenological designed qualitative study aimed to investigate the reasons behind this dynamic. Fourteen in-depth interviews’ and two focus groups’ discussion from a rich and diverse sample of 20 purposively selected working and non-working, younger and older women dentists from the cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar and Abbottabad obtained data to achieve saturation. All interviews were audio recorded with consent, transcribed verbatim, transcripts analyzed and coded into themes and sub-themes. Respondent validation and investigator triangulation ensured validity and credibility of findings. The core finding is that a support system is an essential pre-requisite facilitating a woman dentist to pursue her career; the primary driver for this support is “economic need”. This core factor circuitously interlinks three peripheral themes, which are 1) traditional gender roles dominate, restricting women dentists from pursuance of career, especially if they have a strong economic base; 2) becoming a dentist enhances social capital and lucrative marriage prospects, lending to the concept of “doctor brides” which becomes a prime reason for choosing this education. Practicing the profession becomes secondary, especially when the marital union is with a well-to-do family; 3) life stage priorities with respect to motherhood is a barrier to full time career pursuance and if economic needs are met, most prioritize motherhood over profession. In conclusion, the average graduating dentist is female, from an expensive private sector dental college, affordable by the socio-economically privileged class; she often marries into an equivalent or higher SES class based on her “doctor” title. Since “economic need” is a dominant determinant of pursuance of career, a majority of women dentists opt for the luxury of choosing not to work. Recommendations include revision of policies for admission into dental colleges and retentive protocols on renewal of license to practice.