176 - Demographic Trends Among Applicants to a Pediatric Dentistry Residency 2015-2020

Purpose: Approximately two-thirds of applicants to pediatric dentistry programs apply to an NYU Langone site. The purpose of this study was to assess the race/ethnicity, age, gender, citizenship, country of origin, military service, and conviction history of applicants to NYU Langone Dental Medicine Postdoctoral Residency Programs in Pediatric Dentistry over five application cycles.

Methods: ADEA PASS data of 2158 applicants were evaluated and reported for the aforementioned fields. Percentages were calculated and data visualized.

Results: The results demonstrated trends that were relatively consistent across the five years. Notably, in the 2019-2020 cycle, the number of applicants born outside the United States dropped significantly. Although consistently low, applicants reporting convictions and foreign military service decreased. Age, gender, and citizenship were relatively unchanged but Hispanic ethnicity is increasing. When compared to dental school graduates in the years of the application cycles, applicants to this program were more likely to be women, Black, or Asian and less likely to be males or White.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that gender, race, and citizenship have been relatively consistent amongst applicants, but for pediatric dentistry to remain an inclusive specialty, it will be important to encourage underrepresented groups to continue to apply using targeted programming. However, this program’s existing diversity and increasing Hispanic representation suggest that further studies may provide insight into what characteristics or strategies of this program have contributed to this difference.