Women Shift From Under- to Overrepresented in US Dental Schools, Study Finds

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Posted: July 15, 2026

Women Shift From Under- to Overrepresented in US Dental Schools, Study Finds

Edited by Dentaltown staff

Women moved from slightly underrepresented to slightly overrepresented among applicants, first-year students, and graduates at US dental schools between 2011 and 2025 when measured against the makeup of the US adult population, according to an analysis published online July 11 in The Journal of the American Dental Association.

In the 2011–2012 academic year, women were modestly underrepresented relative to the adult population across all three groups, with prevalence ratios of about 0.87 for applicants and 0.90 for both first-year students and graduates. By 2024–2025, those ratios had risen above parity, reaching 1.15 for applicants, 1.15 for first-year students, and 1.10 for graduates, indicating slight overrepresentation. Representation was roughly equal around the 2018–2019 academic year.

The researchers drew on publicly available data from the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute’s Commission on Dental Accreditation Survey of Dental Education, which covered 61 US dental schools in 2011–2012 and grew to 75 by 2024–2025. They benchmarked the figures against US adult population data from the American Community Survey and compared trends at public and private institutions.

The move toward greater female representation appeared at both public and private schools but was more pronounced at private institutions.

The analysis was descriptive and characterized shifts in enrollment rather than examining downstream effects on practice ownership, specialty choice, academic leadership, or the broader workforce. The authors suggested that a dental workforce reflecting the population it serves may support more equitable access to oral health care.

The study was conducted by Linda Sangalli of Midwestern University, along with Suchi Patel, Grace De Souza, and Flavia P. Kapos. The authors reported no disclosures.

Sources:
The Journal of the American Dental Association, “Longitudinal sex representation in US dental schools from 2011 through 2025,” available online July 11, 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2026.04.008: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002817726002564


Women Shift From Under- to Overrepresented in US Dental Schools, Study Finds

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