Critical Issues in Dental
Education
Gender
Trends in Dental Leadership and Academics: A Twenty-Two-Year Observation
By
Judy Chia-Chun Yuan, D.D.S., M.S.; Damian J. Lee, D.D.S.; et al
The purpose
of this study was to examine gender disparities in dental
leadership and academics in the United States. Nine journals
that represent the dental specialties and high publishedimpact factors were
selected to analyze the percentage of female dentists’ first
and senior authorship for the years 1986, 1990, 1995, 2000,
2005, and 2008. Data on appointment status and female deanship
were collected from the American Dental Association (ADA)
survey,and the trends were studied. The proportion of female
presidents in ADA-recognized specialty organizations was also
calculated.
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Overall,the increase in first female authorship was
not statistically significant, but the increase of last female
authorship was statistically significant in a linear trend over
the years. The percentage of tenured female faculty members and
female deans in U.S. dental schools increased by factors of 1.7
and 9, respectively, during the study period. However, female
involvement in professional organizations was limited. Findings
from this study indicate that female participation in
authorship and leadership has increased over time. Nevertheless, females
are still a minority in dental academics and leadership.
