Gender and Career Destination of Thai Recent Dental Graduates

Objectives: Feminization of dental profession has been shown to have impacts on practice patterns. Little is known whether gender contributes to maldistribution of dentists in Thailand. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between gender and choices of career destination among recent Chulalongkorn (C.U.) dental graduates. Methods: A mailed questionnaire survey was conducted on all 686 C.U. dental graduates from classes of 2004-2010. Data on current practice location and long-term planned location, classified in to Bangkok and non-Bangkok destinations, were collected together with socio-demographic and practice characteristics. Logistic regression of long-term practice location was performed. Results: Female comprised 76.5% of recent C.U. dental graduates. Overall, 41.9% of female dentists as compared to 36.6% of male dentists chose areas outside Bangkok as their long-term practice location. Female dentists were more likely to plan long-term practice in public sectors than male dentists (63.9% vs. 49.5%, p = 0.018). A logistic model of career destination in non-Bangkok areas included 3 predictors: being female (odds ratio = 0.24), gender-practice sector interaction (odds ratio = 9.45), and hometown (odds ratio = 14.33). Conclusion: Being female, by itself and through interaction with other characteristics such as working in public sectors, seem to influence choices of long-term practice location in non-urban areas. Research funded by the Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University.