Gender preferences in the choice of a pediatric dental residency program

The goal of this study was to investigate whether men and women applying for graduate training in pediatric dentistry placed different emphasis on the same factors and program characteristics upon making their final ranking decision. A questionnaire was mailed to the first-year resident class in the United States in 2005 containing both multiple-choice and open-ended questions covering six sections: 1) candidate's background, 2) the application process, 3) program characteristics, 4) nonclinical factors, 5) clinical factors, and 6) the interview process. In sections three through six, respondents ranked factors and characteristics from "not important" or "no influence" to "critical." The response rate was 69.2 percent (180/260), with approximately 57.8 percent females (104/180) and 61.4 percent non-Hispanic white respondents (110/180). Statistically significant differences between genders were as follows: 1) men were older (29.4 years versus 28.1, p<0.05); 2) men applied to more programs (9.9 vs. 8.1, p<0.05); 3) women preferred programs affiliated with their own dental school (p=0.046); 4) women preferred university-based programs (p=0.049); 5) women preferred programs that offered a high amount of patient care under general anesthesia (p=0.040); and 6) women placed more importance on the salary/stipend amount offered by the programs (p=0.045).