ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Dentistry
doi: 10.25005/2074-0581-2026-28-2-393-408
ASSESSMENT OF THE PREVALENCE OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN DENTISTRY BASED ON AN ONLINE SURVEY

A.V. BLINOVA, D.N. DOLGANOVA, E.E. VEDYAPINA, A.S. TERESHIN, S.P. USOV

Department of Periodontology, Tver State Medical University, Tver, Russian Federation

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of gender discrimination within dental education and professional practice. It further investigated how such discrimination influences professional trajectories and self-perceptions among dentists across specialties.

Methods: The study involved 121 healthcare professionals and 115 patients. Statistical analysis was performed using contingency tables. The significance of differences between qualitative variables was evaluated using Fisher's exact test and the Chi-square test.

Results: While 67.5% of patients reported that a doctor's gender was irrelevant, specific preferences emerged by specialty: 26.1% and 32.2% of respondents preferred male doctors for orthopedic and surgical care, respectively, and 29.6% preferred female doctors for pediatric dentistry. Among the surveyed dentists, 34.7-43.8% reported experiencing verbal discrimination. Notably, 92.9% of those who encountered discriminatory statements were women, with over 60% being general dentists or dental therapists. Despite these experiences, 80.0% of respondents who faced discrimination remain active in the medical field.

Conclusion: Gender-based discrimination persists within the dental profession. Such discrimination, directed at both men and women, is often rationalized by perpetrators through claims of physical or intellectual limitations in the opposing gender. Nevertheless, these discriminatory experiences appear to have a minimal impact on professionals' long-term career choices.

Keywords: Gender discrimination, female dentists, discriminatory statements, deontology, professional ethics.

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Authors' information:

Blinova Alisa Vladimirovna,
Candidate of Medical Sciences, Assistant Professor of the Department of Periodontology, Tver State Medical University
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4315-163X
SPIN: 4239-0519
Author ID: 985695
E-mail: blinova-alisa@mail.ru

Dolganova Diana Nikolaevna,
4ᵗʰ year Student of the Faculty of Dentistry, Tver State Medical University
ORCID ID: 0009-0003-2637-1897
E-mail: didolganova@inbox.ru

Vedyapina Elena Eduardovna,
4ᵗʰ year Student of the Faculty of Dentistry, Tver State Medical University
ORCID ID: 0009-0001-4964-3731
E-mail: leno4ka011003@mail.ru

Tereshin Aleksandr Sergeevich,
4ᵗʰ year Student of the Faculty of Dentistry, Tver State Medical University
ORCID ID: 0009-0007-9837-333X
E-mail: tereshindoom@mail.ru

Usov Stepan Petrovich,
4ᵗʰ year Student of the Faculty of Dentistry, Tver State Medical University
ORCID ID: 0009-0008-1803-5785
E-mail: step.usov@gmail.com

Information about support in the form of grants, equipment, medications

The authors did not receive financial support from manufacturers of medicines and medical equipment

Conflicts of interest: No conflict

Address for correspondence:

Blinova Alisa Vladimirovna
Candidate of Medical Sciences, Assistant Professor of the Department of Peri- odontology, Tver State Medical University

170100, Russian Federation, Tver, Sovetskaya str., 4

Tel.: +7 (919) 0516059

E-mail: blinova-alisa@mail.ru


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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