Gender and research productivity in US and Canadian schools of dentistry. A preliminary investigation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate individual faculty research productivity with respect to gender among clinical faculty in 66 United States and Canadian schools of dentistry. A comprehensive survey instrument was developed to collect information on factors associated with research productivity of individual faculty. The present investigation focused on time spent per week in various work related activities (teaching, administration, research, and private practice), external grant money obtained for research, and responses to 12 variables evaluating the subject's perceptions of their research background, work environment, attitude and outcome effects from publishing, and the use of colleagues in conducting research. The 833 respondents represented a response rate of 69.4% (833/1200) from a 50% stratified random sample of faculty who (1) had full-time appointments and held at least the DMD or DDS degree or the foreign equivalent, (2) taught in a clinical department of the dental school, and (3) were not departmental chairpersons or administrators. The majority of subjects responding to the survey were male (705 males, 84.6%; 128 females, 15.4%). Respondents reported a mean of 10.3 years (males = 10.8, females = 7.5) in full-time dental education and a mean of 10.1 career publications (males = 11.6, females = 6.5; P < 0.001). Although there was no significant difference in weekly hours devoted to academic responsibilities between males and females, several factors did demonstrate significant gender differences (external grant money obtained for research purposes, P < 0.03; feeling that the departmental chair did not emphasize research, P < 0.05; feeling a lack of autonomy within their institution, P < 0.007; and feeling a lack of available colleagues for research purposes, P < 0.001). The implications of the findings are discussed concerning strategies for improving research productivity for females in academic dentistry.