Significant Increase in Female Representation Across Dental Specialties Over Seven-Year

Objectives: This study investigated the changes in sex representation across the U.S. dental specialties over 7 years (from 2015 to 2022). We hypothesized this assessment could provide insights into the evolving landscape of diversity and inclusion within the dental workforce.
Methods: A retrospective secondary analysis was conducted on data collected from the Survey of Advanced Dental Education (Commission on Dental Accreditation) on N=473 programs affiliated with one of the 12 U.S. dental specialties as defined by the American Dental Association (ADA). Trends in sex representation were compared across dental specialties using chi-square tests for proportion (α = .05).
Results: Throughout the seven-year collection period, male students consistently constituted the predominant demographic within the U.S. dental specialties (from 60.1% in 2015-16 to 50.3% in 2021-22). Nevertheless, during this time, there has been a statistically significant increase in female representation across the majority of dental specialties (from 39.9% in 2015-16 to 49.4% in 2021-22, p<.0001). The only exception was the oral medicine specialty, which exhibited a non-statistically significant reduction in female enrollment by 12.3% (p=.40). The specialty with the lowest female representation was oral surgery (16.8%), while the lowest male representation was seen in oral medicine (31.8%). Over the years, female proportion significantly increased in endodontics (by 24.6%, p=.005), oral and maxillofacial pathology (by 40.0%, p=.035), oral and maxillofacial surgery (by 40.0%, p<.0001), orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics (by 16.4%, p<.0002), pediatric dentistry (by 8.7%, p=.011), and prosthodontics (by 35.2%, p<.0001).
Conclusions: These findings underscore a substantial increase in female enrollment within the U.S. dental specialties over the past 7 years. This reflects a positive trend towards greater sex diversity in advanced dental education programs. The exceptions and variations among specialties highlight the complexity of this evolution, emphasizing the importance of a continued fostering of inclusion and diversity within the dental workforce.