AHilal Gündoğ*

Department of Orthodontics, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, Faculty of Dentistry, Turkey

*Corresponding Author: Hilal Gündoğ, Department of Orthodontics, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, Faculty of Dentistry, Turkey.

Received: November 12, 2025; Published: November 27, 2025

Abstract

Objectives: To assess gender representation in Turkish Orthodontic Society (TOD) congresses and symposia by analyzing the proportion of female and male invited speakers and oral presenters from 2013 to 2024.

Methods: Twelve TOD events (6 congresses, 6 symposia) held between 2013 and 2024 were reviewed. For each event, data on invited speakers and oral presenters were extracted from program booklets. Speaker gender was determined by names and photographs, with unclear cases excluded. The proportions of female and male speakers in each category were calculated. Chi-square tests were applied to compare gender distributions and evaluate trends over time.

Results: A total of 752 speakers were analyzed. Overall, women accounted for 68.8% of oral presenters and men accounted for 66.5% of invited speakers, a significant gender disparity (p < 0.01). This pattern was consistent in both congresses and symposia. In congresses, female representation among oral presenters increased significantly over the years (p < 0.05), whereas invited speaker gender proportions did not change significantly. Symposia showed no significant changes in gender distribution over time.

Conclusion: Despite women’s high participation as oral presenters, they remain underrepresented among invited speakers at TOD events. These findings indicate a persistent gender gap in high-profile speaking roles and underscore the need for proactive measures to achieve gender balance in scientific leadership positions.

Keywords: Congresses as Topic; Orthodontics; Gender Equity

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Citation

Citation: Hilal Gündoğ. “Gender Representation in Orthodontic Scientific Events: Analysis of Turkish Orthodontic Society Congresses and Symposia".Acta Scientific Dental Sciences 9.12 (2025): 32-42.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Hilal Gündoğ. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.