SAUDI DENTAL JOURNAL SAUDI DENTAL JOURNAL SAUDI DENTAL JOURNAL

Career profile of dentists in Saudi Arabia

Nahid Y. Ashri,* BDS, MSc
Norah Al Ajaji, § BDS
Mayyadah Al Mozainy,** BDS
Rasha Al Sourani,*** BDS
‫ وزﻋﺖ‬:‫ اﻟﻄﺮﻳﻘﺔ‬.‫ ﺗﻬﺪف ﻫﺬه اﻟﺪراﺳﺔ إﻟﻰ دراﺳﺔ اﻟﺘﻄﻮر اﻟﻮﻇﻴﻔﻰ ﻷﻃﺒﺎء وﻃﺒﻴﺒﺎت اﻷﺳﻨﺎن ﻓﻲ ﺑﻌﺾ ﻣﻨﺎﻃﻖ اﻟﻤﻤﻠﻜﺔ‬:‫ﻫﺪف اﻟﺪراﺳﺔ‬
‫ ﺑﺎﻹﺿﺎﻓﺔ إﻟﻰ اﻻﺳﺘﺸﺎرﻳﻴﻦ اﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﻳﻌﻤﻠﻮن ﻓﻲ ﻋﺪد ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺴﺘﺸﻔﻴﺎت‬،‫اﻟﺒﺎﺣﺜﺎت اﺳﺘﺒﻴﺎﻧﺎت أﻋﺪدﻧﻬﺎ ﻋﻠﻰ أﻃﺒﺎء وﻃﺒﻴﺒﺎت اﻷﺳﻨﺎن اﻟﻌﺎﻣﻴﻦ‬
‫ ﺛﻢ ﺣﻠﻠﺖ ﻧﺘﺎﺋﺞ‬.‫ وأﺳﺌﻠﺔ ﺗﺘﻄﻠﺐ اﻹﻳﺠﺎب أو اﻟﻨﻔﻲ‬،‫ ﺗﺘﻮزع ﻋﻠﻰ إﺟﺎﺑﺎت اﺧﺘﻴﺎرﻳﺔ‬،‫ ﺳﺆاﻻ‬٤٠ ‫ وﺗﻀﻤﻨﺖ اﻻﺳﺘﺒﻴﺎﻧﺎت‬.‫اﻟﺤﻜﻮﻣﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻤﻤﻠﻜﺔ‬
‫ ﻣﻦ ﻣﺠﻤﻮع اﻻﺳﺘﺒﻴﺎﻧﺎت‬٪٤٠,٨ ‫ ﺑﻠﻐﺖ ﻧﺴﺒﺔ اﻻﺳﺘﺠﺎﺑﺎت‬:‫ اﻟﻨﺘﺎﺋﺞ‬.((٠,٠٥>p ‫اﻻﺳﺘﺒﻴﺎﻧﺎت ﺗﺒﻌﺎ ﻟﻤﻌﻴﺎر اﻟﺠﻨﺲ ﻋﻨﺪ ﻗﻴﻤﺔ اﻟﺪاﻟﺔ اﻹﺣﺼﺎﺋﻴﺔ‬
‫ ﻣﻨﻬﻢ‬٪٧٠ ‫ وﻛﺎن ﺳﻦ‬،٪٤٨,١ ‫ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺠﻤﻮع ﻓﻴﻤﺎ ﺑﻠﻐﺖ ﻧﺴﺒﺔ اﻻﺳﺘﺠﺎﺑﺎت ﻣﻦ اﻷﻃﺒﺎء‬٪٥١,٩ ‫ وﺑﻠﻐﺖ ﻧﺴﺒﺔ اﻻﺳﺘﺠﺎﺑﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻄﺒﻴﺒﺎت‬.‫اﻟﻤﻮزﻋﺔ‬
‫ ﻟﻢ ﺗﺠﺪ اﻟﺒﺎﺣﺜﺎت أي ﻓﺮوق ﻣﻬﻤﺔ ﺑﻴﻦ اﻷﻃﺒﺎء واﻟﻄﺒﻴﺒﺎت ﻣﻦ ﺣﻴﺚ إﻧﻬﺎء اﻟﺪراﺳﺎت اﻟﻌﻠﻴﺎ أو اﻟﺤﺼﻮل ﻋﻠﻰ ﺷﻬﺎدة دراﺳﻴﺔ‬.‫ ﺳﻨﺔ‬٤٥ ‫أﻗﻞ ﻣﻦ‬
‫ﻓﻀﻞ أﻛﺜﺮ ﻣﻦ ﻏﻴﺮه ﻋﻨﺪ اﻟﻄﺒﻴﺒﺎت ﻫﻮ ﺗﺨﺼﺺ "ﻃﺐ أﺳﻨﺎن اﻷﻃﻔﺎل" ﻓﻴﻤﺎ ﻓﻀﻞ اﻷﻃﺒﺎء ﺗﺨﺼﺺ "ﺗﻘﻮﻳﻢ‬ ِّ ‫ وﻛﺎن اﻟﺘﺨﺼﺺ اﻟﺬي‬.‫أﺧﺮى‬
‫ أﻣﺎ اﻟﻄﺒﻴﺒﺎت ﻓﻴﺸﻐﻠﻦ ﻣﺮاﻛﺰ إدارﻳﺔ ﻣﻨﺴﻘﻪ‬،(٪٦٣) ‫ وﻗﺪ وﺟﺪت اﻟﺒﺎﺣﺜﺎت أن اﻷﻃﺒﺎء ﻳﺸﻐﻠﻮن ﻣﺮاﻛﺰ إدارﻳﺔ ﺗﻨﻔﻴﺬﻳﺔ ﺑﻨﺴﺒﺔ‬."‫اﻷﺳﻨﺎن‬
‫ ﻓﻴﻤﺎ‬،‫( ﻣﻦ اﻟﻄﺒﻴﺒﺎت أن ﻫﻨﺎك ﺗﻔﻀﻴﻼ ﻟﻸﻃﺒﺎء ﻓﻲ ﺷﻐﻞ اﻟﻤﻨﺎﺻﺐ اﻹدارﻳﺔ‬٪٨٣) ‫ وﻳﺮى‬.(٪٥٧) ‫داﺧﻠﻴًﺎ ﻋﻦ ﻃﺮﻳﻖ اﻷﻗﺴﺎم اﻟﺘﺎﺑﻌﻴﻦ ﻟﻬﺎ ﺑﻨﺴﺒﺔ‬
‫ ﺗﺒﻴﻦ اﻟﺪراﺳﺔ أﻧﻪ ﻟﻴﺲ ﻫﻨﺎك ﻓﺮوق ﻣﻬﻤﺔ ﺑﻴﻦ أﻃﺒﺎء‬:‫ اﻻﺳﺘﻨﺘﺎج‬.‫ ﻣﻦ اﻷﻃﺒﺎء أن ﻫﻨﺎك ﺗﻔﻀﻴﻼ ﻟﻠﻄﺒﻴﺒﺎت ﻟﺸﻐﻞ اﻟﻤﺮاﻛﺰ ﻧﻔﺴﻬﺎ‬٪٥,٥ ‫ﻳﺮى‬
‫ ﻳﻀﺎف إﻟﻰ ذﻟﻚ أن ﻣﻦ اﻟﻮاﺿﺢ أن‬.‫ وﺳﺎﻋﺎت اﻟﻌﻤﻞ واﻟﻌﻼﻗﺎت ﻣﻊ اﻟﺰﻣﻼء‬،‫وﻃﺒﻴﺒﺎت اﻷﺳﻨﺎن ﻓﻲ اﻟﻤﻤﻠﻜﺔ ﻓﻴﻤﺎ ﻳﺨﺺ ﻓﺮص اﻟﺘﻮﻇﻴﻒ‬
‫ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻮﻗﺖ اﻟﺬي ﻳﺤﺎوﻟﻦ‬،‫ﻫﻨﺎك ﺗﺼﻤﻴﻤﺎ ﻣﺘﺰاﻳﺪا ﻋﻨﺪ ﻃﺒﻴﺒﺎت اﻷﺳﻨﺎن اﻟﺴﻌﻮدﻳﺎت ﻟﻼﻧﺨﺮاط ﻓﻲ اﻟﻌﻤﻞ اﻟﺬي ﺗﺨﺘﺎره ﻛﻞ واﺣﺪة ﻣﻨﻬﻦ‬
.‫ﻓﻴﻪ اﻟﺘﻮﻓﻴﻖ ﺑﻴﻨﻪ وﺑﻴﻦ اﻟﻤﺘﻄﻠﺒﺎت اﻟﻤﺘﻌﺪدة ﻟﻠﻮﻇﻴﻔﺔ وﻛﻮﻧﻬﺎ زوﺟﺔ وأﻣﺎ‬
OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present survey were to determine whether differences existed between male and female
dentists in Saudi Arabia in career development, positions occupied within their employment, and to analyze the effect of
different variables on their career development in some of the provinces in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A self-conducted
questionnaire was distributed among male and female dentists, general practitioners as well as specialists, working at
several governmental hospitals in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaires consisted of 40 questions in the format of multiple
choices and yes/no answer. Data were analyzed by gender with the significant difference level set at (P < 0.05). RESULTS:
The response rate was 40.8% of which 51.9% were females and 48.1% males with 70% of them below 45 years of age.
No significant difference was found between males and females in having higher education or additional degrees. The
specialty that was highly reported among females was pedodontics and in males, orthodontics. Males were more likely to
hold authorized administrative positions (63%), while females held administrative positions which were internally arranged
by their departments (57%). Eighty-three percent of female respondents thought that there was favouritism towards males
in appointment to administrative positions, while only 5.5% of male respondents reported that there was favouritism
to females in occupying the same positions. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference between male and
female dentists in Saudi Arabia with respect to job opportunities, working hours and relationships with their colleagues.
In addition, there is evidence of an intensifying determination of female dentists in Saudi Arabia, to pursue their chosen
career while coping with the diverse demands of being a professional, a wife and mother.

INTRODUCTION This rapid rate of growth is relevant to

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a rapidly
developing country. According to the
1974 survey, the Kingdom's population
was just over 7 million. Since then, the
population has grown dramatically.1 In
2007, the Central Department of Statistics'
Demographic Survey put the population
of the Kingdom at 27,601,038 million. Of
the Saudi national population, 54.3% are
males and 45.7% are females.2
* Associate Professor
Department of Preventive Dental Science
**Demonstrator
Department of Restorative Dental Sciences
***Intern
College of Dentistry, King Saud University
§
Resident, National Guard Hospital
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia including
education. One of the first objectives of
the Ministry of Higher Education has
been to establish new institutions of
higher education throughout the country
and to expand existing ones. By 1994,
there were seven major universities and
83 colleges.3
Now, there are more than 142,000
students at Saudi universities and
colleges, a remarkable improvement over
the 7,000 students enrolled in 1970.3 Of
Address reprint requests to:
Dr. Nahid Ashri
Division of Periodontics, PDS Department
College of Dentistry, King Saud University
P.O. Box 60169, Riyadh 11545, Saudi Arabia
Email: nashri00@yahoo.com

Saudi Dental Journal, Volume 21, No. 1, January - April 2009

ASHRI et al.
142,000 students, more than 60,000 are
females studying at five of the universities:
King Saud, King Abdul Aziz, King Faisal,
Imam Muhammad Bin Saud and Umm
Al-Qura.3
College of Dentistry is a fundamental
part of King Saud University (KSU), as it is
the first university-based dental training
institution in the Arabian Gulf. The first
groups of students enrolled in the College
at the beginning of 1975-1976 were seven
(7) males who graduated in 1981.4 The
first female group (14) enrolled in the
College in 1978-1979 and graduated in
1983.5 The number of females entering the
dental profession has increased during
the past few decades. By the end of 2006-
2007, seven hundred and sixty seven
(767) females had successfully obtained
their Bachelor degree of Science in Dental
Surgery (BDS) from KSU.5
The rapid increase of females in the
profession has been the most noticeable
demographic trend in dentistry over the
past twenty years. Between 1983 and
2006 female graduates of KSU, College
of Dentistry, increased from 3.6% to
11.4%.5
It is expected that the number of female
dental graduates will increase greatly
in the future due to the increase in the
number of dental colleges that have been
newly established in the Kingdom.6 With
the increase in the number of females
enrolling for dental profession, more
jobs will be occupied by females than
before. As more women become dental
professionals, there will be changes in
the dental workforce pattern because
women do have different and sometimes
competing priorities in areas such as
childcare and maternity arrangements,
which may influence working patterns
and career choices and/or ambition.
A number of studies7-9 have examined
differences between male and female
dentists in their work patterns and
reported that males and females differed
Saudi Dental Journal, Volume 21, No. 1, January - April 2009
29
in their working hours and their practice
settings. In addition, females holding
administrative positions or working as
managers are few and they are reluctant
to have their own practice.
The American Dental Association found
that male dentists were significantly more
likely to own or have a share in ownership
of their practice.10 Other studies suggested
that male dentists earn more money
than female dentists.11 A number of
studies supported this point, focusing on
issues such as age, gender distribution
of dentists, time devoted to professional
activity,12-15 student orientation, practice
preferences,7,12 career development,
and academic contribution of female
dentists.12,16,17
To our knowledge, studies to evaluate
career development of dentists in Saudi
Arabia according to gender are not
available. Accordingly, the aims of the
present study were to determine whether
differences existed between male and
female dentists in Saudi Arabia in career
development, positions occupied within
their employment and to analyze the
effect of different variables on their career
development.
METHODS
A questionnaire-based survey model
was used. The survey was conducted
in different provinces of the Kingdom:
Central, Western and Eastern provinces.
A random sample was obtained of dentists
working in different governmental sectors
such as Ministry of Health, Military
Hospital, National Guard Hospital,
Security Forces Hospital and College
of Dentistry in KSU, Riyadh and King
Abdulaziz University, Jeddah. The
questionnaire was also distributed during
a dental meeting that was held between
June and December 2007.
Methods used to encourage response
included personal communication and
30 CAREER PROFILE OF DENTISTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

personal distribution by the researchers. little or no difference in the proportion of

The measurement instrument was four- 108 (51.9%) female respondents and 100
pages, 40 item-questionnaire developed (48.1%) male respondents. The geographic
by the authors according to the present distributions of participants is presented
requirements of the investigation and in Table 1.
based upon the original questionnaire
used by McEwen and Seward in 1988. Table 1. Geographic distribution of respondents.
The questionnaire was pilot-tested on a GENDER
PROVINCE
sample of 20 dentists and modifications Male Female
were then done accordingly to improve Eastern 13% 12%
the clarity and wording. Questions were
Central 67% 66.7%
arranged in a yes/no response and
multiple choice formats. Western 20% 21.3%
The first page indicated the purpose
of the survey and the confidentiality Twenty-seven (27%) male respondents
statement. The first part of the had no children compared to 43 (39.8%)
questionnaire was assigned to collect the females, 52 (52%) male respondents had
socio-demographic data of respondents, 1-3 children compared to 45 (41.7%)
their qualifications and year of graduation. female respondents, 21 (21%) male
The second part of the questionnaire was respondents had more than 4 children
about their current working places, if compared to 20 (18.5%) females. The
they worked in private sectors in addition majority of our respondents were in the
to working in governmental sectors, and age group of 25-30 years. More than 70%
which sector had better income in their of our respondents were younger than 45
opinion. They were also asked about the years (Table 2).
number of working hours per week.
The third part included questions Table 2. Distribution of respondents by age.
about their working title and/or working Gender Female Male
positions, speciality, job satisfaction, Age Group Count Percent Count Percent
bias in getting promotion, career breaks 25-29 39 36.1 31 31
(including number of breaks, duration 30-34 21 19.4 24 24
and reason for taking breaks), relations 35-39 18 16.7 24 24
with their colleagues and an inquiry about 40-44 15 13.9 15 15
their future plans. 45-49 11 10.2 5 5
The data was entered and analyzed ≥ 50 4 3.7 1 1
using SPSS version 15, Microsoft Excel
version 2003 and Primer of Biostatistics Respondents' qualifications included
version 5. Respondents were analyzed by 48 (48%) males and 54 (50%) females who
gender for significant differences, using had Bachelor degree. Thirty-nine (39%)
Pearson’s Chi-square tests of significance males and 35 (32.4%) females had Master
difference. All differences quoted in the degree while 13 (13%) males and 19
text are significant at the 5% level. (17.6%) females had PhD. Twenty-seven
percent of all respondents had additional
RESULTS qualifications, 2.9% were Saudi Board
certified (2% males and 3.7% females),
From a total of 510 forms randomly 7.7% had diploma of Advanced Education
distributed, 208 replies were received. in General Dentistry (9% males and 6.5%
This was a 40.8% response rate. There was females). A small number, 1.9% had Saudi

Saudi Dental Journal, Volume 21, No. 1, January - April 2009

ASHRI et al.
Fellowship (2% males and 1.9% females),
5.7% American Board Certification (8%
males and 3.7% females), and 8.9% were
board certified from other countries (12%
males and 4.6% females).
The respondents were 87 (46.3%)
general practitioners and 101 (53.7%)
specialists. Fifty-one (52%) of the general
practitioners were females and 36 (39.6%)
were males. Of the specialists, 46 (47.4%)
were females and 55 (60.4%) were males.
Thirteen percent of the respondents
specialized in Prosthodontics which was
the highest reported specialty among
participants, followed by Pedodontics
(12.9%), Operative Dentistry (11.2%),
Orthodontics (9.4%), Periodontics
(8.6%), Endodontics (7.7%), Oral Surgery
(3.4%), Community Dentistry (1.9%),
Oral Medicine (1.7%), Oral Radiology
(1.7%), Oral Pathology (0.86%), and other
specialties such as AEGD (13.5%).
Within the specialties, 5% were
male pedodontists while 9.3% were
female pedodontists, this being the
highest reported specialty among female
respondents. Eight percent of the
respondents were male prosthodontists
whereas 7.4% were female prostho-
dontists. Nine percent of male respondents
were orthodontists which was the
highest reported specialty among male
respondents compared to 1.9% females.
Five percent of the respondents were male
periodontists and 4.6% were females.
Six percent of respondents were male
endodontists while 2.8% were females.
In Community Dentistry, 1% of the
respondents were males and 2.8% were
females.
In respect of the current working place,
43 (20.7%) respondents were employees
at the University where 7 (7%) were males
and 36 (33.3%) were females. Twenty
percent of all the respondents worked in
the Ministry of Health of which 25 (25%)
were males and 17 (15.7%) were females.
Fifty-eight (27.9%) of all respondents
Saudi Dental Journal, Volume 21, No. 1, January - April 2009
31
service in the Military Hospital with 31
(31%) males and 27 (25%) females.
In Security Forces Hospital, the total
respondents were 20 (9.6%) of which
11 (11%) were males and 9 (8.3%) were
females. Thirty-nine (18.8%) of all
respondents were at the time working
in the National Guard Hospital of which
26 (26%) were males and 13 (12%)
were females and only 5 (2.4%) of all
respondents reported that they started
working directly in the private sectors and
all were females.
Working hours varied between 25 and
50 hours per week in the governmental
sectors compared to a maximum of 45
hours in the private sectors. There was no
significant difference between males and
females in their working load (Table 3).
Table 3. Working hours of respondents in private and
government sectors
Working Government Private
hours Female Male Female Male
4-12 0 0 84.6% 88.9%
13-24 0 0 7.7% 5.6%
25-45 93.3% 90% 7.7% 5.6%
48-50 6.7% 10% 0 0
Female (7.1%) dentists were less
likely to be partners in a dental practice
compared to males (47.1%) (P= 0.002)
while the majority of females (92.9%)
preferred to work in private clinics on part
time basis compared to males (52.9%)
(P=0.003). Seventeen percent of male
respondents believed that working in
private sectors gave better income than
governmental sectors compared to 10.2%
of females.
Seventy (34%) of respondents reported
that they were holding administrative/
manager positions of which 39 (41.9%)
were males and 31 (31.6%) were females.
Male respondents who held recognized
administrative positions were 24 (63.1%)
while only 14 (36.8%) female respondents
were given the same position (P=0.03).
32
Females (57%) held more positions which
were set by their department as an internal
arrangement compared to males (42.8%).
Males (62.8%) were more significantly
satisfied (P=0.05) with their administrative
position compared to females (39.5%).
Ninety-five percent of female
respondents believed that there was
favouritism to males (P=0.000) in getting
administrative appointments (83.5%),
academic positions (35.3%), governmental
jobs (32.9%), and jobs in the private
sectors (17.6%), respectively. On the
other hand, 52.9% male respondents
believed that there was favouritism to
females in obtaining governmental jobs
(20%), academic positions (20%), private
sector jobs (18.2%), and administrative
positions (5.5%), respectively.
Ninety-one percent of female
respondents and 91.6% of male
respondents reported that they were
working in reasonably comfortable
environments. Sixty percent of male
respondents reported that they had
excellent relations with their colleagues
and staff members, at the same time
56.1% of female respondents reported
comparable relation.
When the gender of their colleagues
was specified, 64.6% of male respondents
reported excellent relation with their male
colleagues and staff, 31.3% indicated good
relation, 3.1% reported fair relation and
1% reported poor relation, respectively.
Conversely, 39.6% of female respondents
reported excellent relation with their
male colleagues (P=0.000) while 46.2%
reported good relation (P=0.04), 11.3%
stated fair relation (P= 0.05) and 2.8%
reported poor relation. On the other hand,
relation with female colleagues and staff
were reported as excellent (44.8%), good
(38.5%), fair (12.5%) and poor (4.2%) by
male respondents and as excellent (57%),
good (52%) and fair (0.9%) by female
respondents.
Saudi Dental Journal, Volume 21, No. 1, January - April 2009
CAREER PROFILE OF DENTISTS IN SAUDI ARABIA
About 13% of female respondents
reported that they had work breaks
for more than 6 months in our study.
Reasons for having work break included
maternity, sabbatical, accompanying sick
relation and accompanying husband.
According to their future plans, 29.5%
of male respondents were planning to
obtain their own private practices (P=
0.003) compared to 7.2% of female
respondents. Females (52.6%) were
significantly planning (P= 0.01) to get
higher levels of education than males
(33%). In addition, females (17.5%) were
significantly planning to retire early
compared to males (10.2%) (P=0.01).
DISCUSSION
This study is a preliminary study to
evaluate differences, if any, between male
and female dentists in their practice,
characteristics and career development
pattern in Saudi Arabia.
The response rate (40.8%) for a
questionnaire survey of this type was
comparable to other similar studies.18-20
None of those studies gave reasons for
the low response. However, the length of
the questionnaire could be one reason,
as those types of survey need detailed
information which could be considered
time consuming by respondents.
The respondents varied in age and
qualifications. However, 33.7% of
respondents were in the younger age group
(25-35 years of age) and 70% were younger
than 45 years. This indicated the youth
of the dental profession in Saudi Arabia.
Female dentists represented 51.9% of the
total and this percentage is expected to
persist and increase at least for the next
two decades, based on the percentage
of increase of female undergraduates in
addition to the increase in the number
of new government and private dental
colleges.
ASHRI et al.
Of the male respondents, 85% were
married whereas 76% of the females were
married. This was in close agreement with
the results of Matthews and Scully study.21
The proportion of females without children
in the present study was much less at
39.8% compared to 61% in Matthews
and Scully study21 and in comparison
to Seward and McEwen study22, though
the percentage of married females (76%)
was slightly greater compared to 67% in
their study. This reflects the impact of the
cultural background of the Saudi society
as they prefer to get married and start a
family at a younger age.
The number of male (52%) and
female (50%) respondents who obtained
postgraduate qualifications such as
Master degree or PhD were equal. In
addition, no significant differences were
found between males and females in
their employment positions as general
practitioners or specialists. Other studies
reported that women dentists lacked
additional qualifications and degrees
compared to males. They also reported
that significant differences between the
males and females in the work title and
specialization were evident, as more men
were found to have a higher education,
additional degrees and specialization than
females,7,17,23-25 a situation that could be
explained by the additional responsibility
of the female with the family and the
household.7,9,17,23,25 This was not the
condition in the present study which
could be due to strong family support
where care of children was assisted by
grandmothers and siblings. In addition,
most families have full time helpers at
home.
Several studies reported that if female
dentists had the opportunity to continue
higher education and specialize, they most
frequently would specialize in Pediatric
Dentistry while males were reported more
as orthodontists or prosthodontists.23,25-
28
These results are similar to our results
as more females (9.3%) were pedodontists
Saudi Dental Journal, Volume 21, No. 1, January - April 2009
33
compared to males (5%), whereas males
(9%) were practicing orthodontics
compared to females (1.9%).
In this survey, males and females
were equally distributed among the
different governmental sectors which
indicated the presence of equal job
opportunities between genders. Other
studies have reported that female dentists
working in the government sectors were
usually given lower positions in the
employment hierarchies, lower prestige
job opportunities, were paid less than
men, were less likely to hold consultant
positions and were usually clustered
at the lower end of the employment
ranking especially at universities.12, 13, 17,
23, 25, 27, 29-31
In our study, the equality of
female dentists in obtaining jobs in the
dental profession and obtaining balanced
employment positions in different sectors
was assured in Saudi Arabia.
The present study showed that both
males and females worked similar number
of hours per week, a finding that is in
disagreement with other studies where
they reported less working hours by the
females.7,9,12,13,16,17,21,23,26,27,29,30 Although
the part time system does exist in Saudi
Arabia, none of the female respondents
in this survey reported working as part
timer in the goverment sector. This could
be related to the presence of a full time
helper at home which makes it easier for
females to work full time working hours.
In the present study, females were
more likely to work as part time (92.9%)
in the private sector, than be a sole owner
or partner (7.1%). Other studies have
reported similar results where females
were less likely to be a partner or a sole
owner of a private practice.9,12,13,17,21,23,
25-27,29,30,32
They suggested that female
dentists were influenced by conflict of
trying to balance their professional careers
with the competing responsibilities of
marriage, homemaking and child rearing.
In addition, females are reluctant to take
34
on the responsibility of practice ownership
and they prefer the relative financial
security of a non-partner position.13,14,25
Differences between males and females
in occupying administrative/manager
positions were reported in the present
study. This difference was also reported
in other studies 17, 25, 31 from different
developed countries where they stated
that the majority of female dentists were
not assigned administrative/manager
positions and the employment status of
female dentists did not improve during the
last decades as the proportion of female
dentists acting as principals in practice
has remained relatively low. The career
pathways were still based on traditional
male working patterns where positions
carrying high status and prestige were
still held by men.12,17,25,27,31
Discrepancy among male and female
dentists in getting administrative/
manager positions, and higher positions
in the employment hierarchies are still
reported after 140 years of female existence
within the dental work force in developed
countries. This gives an indication on
the situation of female dentists in other
countries including developed countries.
As it seems, they are undervalued contrary
to the promotion of guaranteed equality
between men and women in all aspects of
life.
There seems to be very little difference
between males and females in the
perceived working relationship with their
colleagues as both males and females
reported excellent relation. However,
when gender of colleagues was specified,
differences were noted as females reported
57% excellent relation to female colleagues
compared to 39.6% excellent relation
with male colleagues. On the other hand,
males reported 64.6% excellent relation
with their male colleagues compared
to 44.8% excellent relation with female
colleagues. Consequently, a slightly
greater percentage of female to female and
male to male relationships were described
Saudi Dental Journal, Volume 21, No. 1, January - April 2009
CAREER PROFILE OF DENTISTS IN SAUDI ARABIA
as excellent, other studies have reported
similar results,26,32-35 where they stated
that female dentists were at a marked
disadvantage as their participation with
male colleagues in professionally related
social activities too frequently lended itself
to social and sexual misinterpretation.
Previous published studies have
shown that women were more likely to
take work breaks after they had children
and if men took breaks, it was due to
personal illness.7,9,21, 22, 35 In the present
survey, only female dentists (12.9%) were
reported to have a career break for more
than six months compared to males.
Reasons given for having breaks included
maternity, accompanying sick relation
and/or husband and sabbatical leaves.
It is clear that child rearing and family
responsibilities have a great impact on
women’s working life. It is also much
harder for men to account for career
breaks for domestic responsibilities as
they are considered the main supporter of
the family.7
Future plans for female dentists
included higher education (52.6%),
ownership of private practice (7.2%)
and retirement (17.5%), whereas males
were planning to have their own private
practice (29.5%), higher education (33%)
and retirement (10.2%). These results
are in agreement with other studies as
Katrova12 reported that females showed
greater interest than males in continuing
higher education. In addition, she reported
that more males were hoping to start their
own practice. Newton et al.7 reported that
males were less likely to continue higher
education and related this to their ability
to succeed as a sole owner and partner in
general practice.
CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
The findings of this study gave an
insight into the practice profiles of male and
female dentists in Saudi Arabia. The main
ASHRI et al.
finding was that there was no significant
difference between male and female
dentists in job opportunities, working
hours and relation with their colleagues
in Saudi Arabia. It demonstrated an
increasing determination of female
dentists in Saudi Arabia to actively
pursue their chosen career and cope with
the diverse demands of a profession, wife
and mother.
With the continuing increase in the
number of females in the dental workforce,
this type of survey should be repeated to
include a larger population.
Since biological differences between
males and females are unavoidable,
women will continue to bear children
and assume the primary responsibility
for their care. Programs such as flexible
practice time, job sharing and childcare
centers that integrate family care with
professional needs are likely to guarantee
that the talent and the productivity of
female dentists are not lost.
Another proposal is ownership sharing
by female dentists of private practices as it
may provide an ideal solution for females
to integrate family with their career more
readily. As owner of individual practice,
females can set the regulations to their
needs.
REFERENCES
1. United Nation Commission 1997
Demographic Survey, the Consumer
Expenditure Survey, the Labor Force
Survey, and the Annual Economic Trends
Survey. Official records of the Economic
and Social Council 1997; Suppl. 8
(E/1995/28).
2. World Fact Book and the Library of
Congress Country Studies. The U.S.
Governments Complete Geographical
Handbook 2007: Photius Coutsoukis.
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-
world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.
html 2007.
3. Ministry of Higher Education 1997 http://
web.mohe.gov.sa/Arabic/Pages/default.
aspx.
Saudi Dental Journal, Volume 21, No. 1, January - April 2009
35
4. King Saud University, College of Dentistry,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, College
Statistics Book. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
KSU University Press, 1977.
5. King Saud University, College of Dentistry,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, College
Statistics Book. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
KSU University Press, 2007.
6. Ministry of Economy and Planning Central
Department, Statistics. 2000 http://www.
saudinf.com/main/c6g.htm.
7. Newton JT, Thorogood N, Gibbons DE. A
study of the career development of male
and female dental practitioners. Br Dent
J 2000; 188: 90-94.
8. Spencer AJ, Lewis JM. The practice of
dentistry by male and female dentists.
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 1988;
16:202-207.
9. McEwen E, Seward M. The contribution of
women to dentistry in the 1980s. Br Dent
J 1988; 339-341.
10. Kaldenberg DO, Zvonkovic AM, Becker
BW. Bureau of Economic and Behavioral
Research, Council on Dental Practice,
American Dental Association. A
comparative study of male and female
dental practice patterns. Suny Press
1989; 65-71.
11. Brown L, Lazar V. Dentist work force and
educational pipeline. J Am Dent Assoc
1998;129: 1700-1707.
12. Katrova G. Gender impact on the
socioprofessional identification of women
dentists in Bulgaria. J Dent Educ 2004;68:
19-22.
13. Solomon E, Hayes M. Gender and the
transition into practice. J Dent Educ
1995; 59:836-840.
14. Dolan A. Gender trends in dental practice
patterns. J Am Coll Dent 1991; 58: 12-
18.
15. Brennan S, Spencer J, Szuster P.
Differences in time devoted to practice
by male and female dentists. Br Dent J
1992; 172: 348-349.
16. Bramson B, Noskin E, Ruesch D.
Demographics and practice characteristics
of dentists participating and not
participating in managed care plans. J
Am Dent Assoc 1997; 128: 1708-1714.
17. Murray J. Better opportunities for women
dentists: A review of the contribution of
women dentists to the workforce. Br Dent
J 2002; 192: 191-196.
36 CAREER PROFILE OF DENTISTS IN SAUDI ARABIA
18. Hanes C, Myers D, Dushku J, Davis H.
Gender differences in the characteristics
of dental services provided for children. J
Dent Child 1992; 437-443.
19. Wilson A, Branch L, Niessen L. Practice
patterns of male and female dentists. J
Am Dent Assoc 1988; 116: 173-177.
20. Price S. Minority female dentists: A
synopsis. J Am Coll Dent 1991; 58: 19-
23.
21. Matthews W, Scully C. Working patterns
of male and female dentist in the UK. Br
Dent J 1994; 176: 463-466.
22. Seward M, McEwen E. The provision of
dental care by women dentists in 1985:
A ten-year review. London: The London
Hospital Medical College, Dental School,
1987.
23. Niessen C, Kleinman V, Wilson A. Practice
characteristics of women dentists. J Am
Dent Assoc 1986; 113:883-888.
24. Over R, Spencer J. Sex ratio of academic
in the dental school of UK universities. Br
Dent J 1983; 160: 259-260.
25. Newton J, Thorogood N, Gibbons E. The
work patterns of male and female dental
practitioners in the United Kingdom. Int
Dent J 2000; 50:61-68.
26. Price S. A profile of women dentists. J Am
Dent Assoc 1990; 120: 403-408.
27. Aguila M, Leggott P, Robertson P,
Porterfield D, Felber G. Practice patterns
among male and female general dentists
in a Washington State population. J Am
Dent Assoc 2005; 136: 790-796.
Saudi Dental Journal, Volume 21, No. 1, January - April 2009
28. Ashri N, Al-Moslem R, Al-Mujel M. General
practitioners' interest in higher dental
education, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. J Pak
Dent Assoc 2007; 16:2, 82-89.
29. Stokes J, Pack A, Spears G. A comparison
of patients' perception of dental care
offered by male or female dentists in New
Zealand. Int Dent J 1992; 42: 217-222.
30. Te Brake H, Bloemendal E, Hohstraten
J. Gender differences in burnout among
Dutch dentists. Community Dent Oral
Epidemiol 2003; 31: 321-327.
31. Niessen L. Women dentists: From here to
the 21st century. J Am Coll Dent 1991; 58:
37-40.
32. Gunn S, Maxson B, Woolfolk M. Mean
career satisfaction and optimism scores
among women. J Am Coll Dent 1992;
59:35-38.
33. Shugars A, DiMatteo M, Cretin S, Johnson
J. Professional satisfaction among
California general dentist. J Dent Educ
1990; 54: 661-669.
34. Tillman R., Horowitz S. Practice patterns
of recent female dental graduates. J Am
Dent Assoc 1983; 107:32-35.
35. Stewart F, Drummond J, Carson L, Hoad
Reddick G. A survey of dental school
applicants' career intentions and the
balance with family life. Br Dent J 2005;
198: 713-717.