Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Medical Education
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors can influence student experiences in higher education.
• Understanding discrimination within dental schools is crucial for promoting inclusivity and equity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between socioeconomic and sociodemographic status of Brazilian dental students and their experiences of discrimination.
• To identify specific student groups at higher risk for discriminatory experiences in dental education.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, cross-sectional study involving 531 undergraduate dental students across four Brazilian states.
• Data collected via an online questionnaire assessing sociodemographic/socioeconomic characteristics and the Explicit Discrimination Scale (EDS).
• Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, bivariate tests, and multiple Poisson regression.

Main Results:

• The study found that students from specific demographic groups reported higher levels of discrimination.
• Black students (PR=1.484), women (PR=1.227), those with lower monthly income (PR=1.212), and LGBTQIAP+ individuals (PR=1.466) had a higher probability of experiencing discrimination.
• Students utilizing affirmative action policies also reported higher mean discrimination scores.

Conclusions:

• A significant pattern of racial and social class disparities exists among Brazilian dental students.
• Exclusionary factors including race, gender, income, and sexual/gender identity contribute to increased vulnerability to discrimination.