Practice patterns among male and female general dentists in a Washington State population.

Background: Women make up about 14 percent of general dentists in the United States, and the proportion is projected to exceed 29 percent by 2020.

Methods: The authors obtained dental benefits claims data from the Washington Dental Service (WDS), Seattle, and used them to examine the practice patterns of 265 women and 1,947 men engaged in general dentistry for at least 26 days in 2001. Practice variables of interest included age, days worked, procedures performed and total income from WDS reimbursements and patient copayments.