Practice Patterns of Male and Female Dentists

Objectives:  Concern has been expressed that a change in demographics of the dental profession associated with increased numbers of female dentists may result in practice patterns that affect the delivery of care.  Purpose:  The purpose of this study was to examine the practice patterns of male and female dentists.  Methods:  A total of 1594 surveys were sent to dentists who graduated from Creighton University between 1985 and 2005 and 485 were returned (30.4%).  Respondents answered questions regarding years since graduation, debt incurrence and repayment, referral patterns, practice income, and hours worked per week/time off per year.  Results:  Chi square goodness of fit (c²) demonstrated a significant difference between males and females who received and responded to the survey (c² = 10.67, p < 0.01) with a higher percentage of females responding.  There was no gender difference in undergraduate debt upon entering dental school (t = -0.40, p > 0.69) nor was debt incurred during dental school significantly different for each group (t = 0.64, p > 0.50).  No significant difference was found in the referral patterns between male and female respondents for the eleven procedures queried, both when viewed as the entire cohort and when grouped by 5-year intervals since graduation (c² = 7.43, p > 0.75).  Although practice income tended to be slightly greater for females, this difference was not significant (F = 0.24, p > 0.62).  Finally, no significant difference was demonstrated between male and female dentists with respect to hours worked per week and weeks off per year, both for the cohort as a whole and when grouped by 5-year intervals since graduation (c² = 22.35, p > 0.30).  Conclusion:  No significant differences between male and female dentists were noted with respect to practice patterns and several key factors that influence them.