Letter to the Editor We encourage your feedback and look forward to answering your questions about our articles.
Dear Chairside® Magazine, In one of your recent issues (Vol. 14, Issue 1), you featured a statistics column entitled “Women in Dentistry.” This article quoted statistics regarding the historical milestones and shifting demographics occurring between male and female dentists in the United States. Dr. Harriet Seldin, who graduated from dental school in 1978, is quoted as saying that 15.9% of first-year dental students were women at that time. I further understand that in 1968 — just a decade before Dr. Seldin graduated — only 1.1% of dental students were female. By 2014, I see this jumps to 47%. A Google search also confirms that 60% of dentists in Europe are female. I have no argument with the statistic showing that 29.5% of U.S. dentists presently are female — but I
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question the accuracy of the statement that 2020 is the “projected year in which more women than men will be practicing dentistry in the U.S.” I’m struggling to quantify these numbers. Simple logic would reveal that if the percentage of women graduating from dental school is now about 50%, all men older than these current graduates will need to have either retired or died before the percentage of women practicing dentistry in the U.S. can reach 50%. I look forward to your thoughts on this. Sincerely, William R. Jungman, DDS Escondido, California
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