Self and peer perception of male and female dental students

In order to investigate the similarity and differences between male and female dental students, the Bentler inventories, which utilize both self and peer report formats, were administered to first year students at U.C.L.A. Results indicated that male and female dental students are basically similar in terms of a wide range of personality traits both in terms as well as self perceptions. The only differences involved males' describing themselves as more masculine and orderly while females were portrayed by their peers as more feminine and clothes-conscious. In addition, comparison between self and peer report inventories for the same sex revealed few trait differences. Although caution should be made in generalizing these findings beyond the UCLA School of dentistry, the results suggest that it is not appropriate to admit nor exclude male or female students based upon any assumptions that doing so would dramatically change the personality characteristics of dental practitioners. However, more research is needed using a more representative national sample of students.