Sex disparities among PhD graduates in Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine in Brazil

Stéphanny Maria Meira; Maria Theresa Tavares de Souza; Fabrício Emanuel Soares de Oliveira; Daniella Reis Barbosa Martelli; Árlen Almeida Duarte de Sousa; Hercílio Martelli-Júnior

doi:10.5327/2525-5711.428

Authors

Stéphanny Maria Meira State University of Montes Claros, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences – Montes Claros (MG), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1651-0035
Maria Theresa Tavares de Souza State University of Montes Claros, Undergraduate Program in Dentistry – Montes Claros (MG), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2090-2844
Fabrício Emanuel Soares de Oliveira State University of Montes Claros, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences – Montes Claros (MG), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0164-1179
Daniella Reis Barbosa Martelli State University of Montes Claros, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences – Montes Claros (MG), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3979-7497
Árlen Almeida Duarte de Sousa State University of Montes Claros, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences – Montes Claros (MG), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7690-5282
Hercílio Martelli-Júnior State University of Montes Claros, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences – Montes Claros (MG), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9691-2802

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5327/2525-5711.428

Keywords:

Oral Pathology, Oral medicine, Scientific output, Sex distribution

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the professional practice and scientific output of PhD graduates in Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine in Brazil, with an emphasis on sex disparities. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 564 graduates who completed their PhDs up to 2021. Variables included sex, year of defense, number of articles published within three years, female participation as first and last author, state, institution, postgraduate program, area of concentration, program rating by CAPES, and type and place of professional activity (public and/or private). Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann–Whitney U test, Pearson’s χ² test, and paired Wilcoxon test. Results: The sample showed a predominance of females (64.5%). No significant differences were observed between sexes regarding time to PhD completion (p=0.176) or professional field (p=0.239), with most graduates working in the private sector (61.5%). Training was mainly concentrated in the Southeast region (73.2%). Despite the greater female representation, men had higher mean numbers of scientific publications as first and last authors (p<0.001), indicating disparities in academic output according to sex. Conclusion: Disparities according to sex remain among PhD graduates in these fields. Although women represent the majority and predominate in professional practice, particularly in the private sector, men more frequently occupy prominent authorship positions in scientific publications.

References

1. Conselho Federal de Odontologia. Histórico. [Internet] Brasília: CFO; 2013 [cited 2025 Aug 13]. Available from: https://website.cfo.org.br/historico/

2. Hunter K, Speight P, Wright J, van Heerden W, Rich A, Franklin C. An international survey of speciality training in oral and maxillofacial pathology. J Oral Pathol Med. 2014;43(3):232-6. https://doi.org/10.1111/jop.12118

3. Santos-Silva AR, Lopes MA, Pedroso CM, Ribeiro ACP, Fonseca FP, Brandão TB, et al. Oral medicine (stomatology) in Brazil: the first 50 years and counting. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2022;134(1):57–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oooo.2022.01.018

4. Scully C, Miller CS, Urizar JMA, Alajbeg I, Almeida OPD, Bagan JV, et al. Oral medicine (stomatology) across the globe: birth, growth, and future. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2016;121(2):149-157.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oooo.2015.10.009

5. Stoopler ET, Shirlaw P, Arvind M, Lo Russo L. Bez C, De Rossi S, et al. An international survey of oral medicine practice: proceedings from the 5th World Workshop in Oral Medicine. Oral Dis. 2011;17 Suppl 1:99-104. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1601-0825.2011.01795.x

6. Andrade RS, Martelli DRB, Almeida OP, Lopes MA, Swerts MSO, Pires FR, et al. Brazilian scientific production in Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2018;125(2):179-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oooo.2017.08.009

7. Shannon G, Jansen M, Williams K, Cáceres C, Motta A, Odhiambo A, et al. Gender equality in science, medicine, and global health: where are we at and why does it matter? Lancet. 2019;393(10171):560-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)33135-0

8. Moschkovich M, Almeida AMF. Desigualdades de gênero na carreira acadêmica do Brasil. Dados. 2015;58(3):749-89. https://doi.org/10.1590/00115258201558

9. Li B, Jacob-Brassard J, Dossa F, Salata K, Kishibe T, Greco E, et al. Gender differences in faculty rank among academic physicians: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2021;11(11):e050322. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050322

10. Larivière V, Ni C, Gingras Y, Cronin B, Sugimoto CR. Bibliometrics: Global gender disparities in science. Nature. 2013;504(7479):211-3. https://doi.org/10.1038/504211a

11. Roper RL. Does gender bias still affect women in science? Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 83:10.1128/mmbr.00018-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00018-19

12. Ferreira LM, Sousa AA, Nascimento JP, Oliveira FE, Martelli DR, Oliveira EA, et al. Analysis of the citation impact of Brazilian researchers in oral pathology and oral medicine over two decades. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. 2024;29(5):e698-e703. https://doi.org/10.4317/medoral.26681

13. Bezerra HKF, Perez DEC, Bonan PRF, Moret MA, Santos-Silva AR, Martelli-Júnior H. Postgraduate employment outcomes of Brazilian oral medicine and oral pathology programs. Oral Dis. 2024;30(4):2758-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.14564

14. Santos-Leite EG, Sobral L, Gilligan G, Flores-Ramos JL, González-Arriagada WA, Vega CP, et al. Oral pathology and oral medicine in Latin American countries: current stage. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. 2024;29(4):e527-32. https://doi.org/10.4317/medoral.26500

15. Shen H. Inequality quantified: mind the gender gap. Nature. 2013;495(7439):22-4. https://doi.org/10.1038/495022a

16. Keffer GM, Sousa AAD, Oliveira FE, Magalhães MJS, Oliveira EA, Martelli Júnior H. Evaluation of Brazilian women’s participation in the CNPq in the field of medical research. Rev Bras Educ Med. 2024;48(2):e028. https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-5271v48.2-2023-0271.ING

17. Krstacic JE, Carr BM, Yaligar AR, Kuruvilla AS, Helali JS, Saragossi J, et al. Academic medicine’s glass ceiling: author’s gender in top three medical research journals impacts probability of future publication success. PLoS One. 2022;17(4):e0261209. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261209

18. Broderick NA, Casadevall A. Gender inequalities among authors who contributed equally. elife. 2019;8:e36399. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.36399

19. Meira SM, Souza MTT, Oliveira FES, Martelli DRB, Coletta RD, Sousa AAD, et al. Gender equity in oral pathology/medicine: analysis of scientific output before and during COVID-19. Oral Dis. 2025;31(11):3218-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.15345

20. Wheatley RM, Ogunlana L. Gender shapes the formation of review paper collaborations in microbiology. Proc Biol Sci. 2023;290(2002):20230965. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.0965

21. Ioannidou E, Rosania A. Under-representation of women on dental journal editorial boards. PLoS One. 2015;10(1):e0116630. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116630

22. Carr P, Gunn C, Raj A, Kapllan S, Freund KM. Recruitment, promotion, and retention of women in academic medicine: how institutions are addressing gender disparities. Womens Health Issues. 2017;27(3):374-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2016.11.003

23. Elsevier. Gender in the global research landscape [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2025 Aug 25]. Available from: https://www.elsevier.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/265661/ElsevierGenderReport_final_for-web

24. Brasil. Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. CNPq anuncia inclusão do campo licença-maternidade no Currículo Lattes [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2025 Aug 25]. Available from: https://www.gov.br/cnpq/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/cnpq-em-acao/cnpq-anuncia-inclusao-do-campo-licenca-maternidade-no-curriculo-lattes

25. Murray S, Swaine A, Doody A. Gender equality policy. Review Report. Irish Aid. Government of Ireland; 2010.