An Inquiry into Female Dentists’ Professional Lives and Concerns

Over the past 40 years, the number of female dentists has consistently increased. In this study, we intend to gain insight into the issues and concerns that influence the work characteristics of female dentists. Many studies have shown that gender differences exist in choice of specialization, practice patterns, and professional attitudes. We used a qualitative description methodology to guide this study, for which we recruited a purposive sample of six female dentists from the dental clinics of Montreal General Hospital, in the greater region of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. These dentists were general practitioners or specialists. Our findings suggest that female dentists consider the balance between work and childcare responsibilities challenging. For female dentists the relationship between work status and family happiness is an important matter to consider.