Gender trends among specialists in pediatric dentistry.

The number of women entering the dental profession has increased over the past few years and the percentage of females enrolling in pediatric postdoctoral studies surpassed 50 percent in 1990. The impact of the shift in the gender of practicing pediatric dentists was examined in this study. A survey was designed to evaluate the relationship between the age and gender of the pediatric dentist, location of principle practice site, and the number of hours dedicated to direct patient care. Twenty-seven hundred and sixty surveys were mailed to pediatric dentists in the United States and 1246 were returned (46 percent). Significantly more males were in private practice than females, although the difference in percentages was small (85 percent versus 80 percent). Women identified universities, hospitals, and institutions as their principle site of practice significantly more often than males (20 percent versus 15 percent). On average, females in private practice work only slightly fewer hours per week providing patient care than do males (32 versus 35 hours/week). In university, hospital, and institution, settings the reverse is true: women spend more time in direct patient care than men (27 versus 23 hours/week).