Gender diversity in endodontics: Women's representation at recent biennial meetings

Leadership opportunities within professional fields often include invitations to speak at major organizational meetings. However, the representation of speakers from underrepresented groups at annual scientific meetings of endodontic organizations has yet to be documented. This observational study aimed to evaluate the percentage of women invited to speak at selected endodontic organization meetings.

The number of male and female keynote or invited speakers at the European Society of Endodontology (ESE), Asian Pacific Endodontic Confederation (APEC), and International Federation of Endodontic Associations (IFEA) conferences from 2013 to 2023 were recorded. A chi-square test was conducted to assess differences in the percentage of women speakers over time and among the three organizations.

A total of 714 keynote and invited speakers from the scientific meetings of the three endodontic organizations between 2013 and 2023 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 601 (84.17%) were men, and 113 (15.83%) were women, reflecting a significant gender disparity (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between the organizations, nor was there a significant change in the number of women speakers over time.

Regardless of the organization or the timeframe, the number of women speakers at scientific meetings remains consistently lower than that of men, with no significant change observed over the past decade.