The 'leaky' BAME pipeline in UK dentistry

Decolonising dental educational research: reflections from a white researcher

While there is an emerging scholarship on decolonising dentistry, the debate about reflexivity, positionality and white privilege in dental educational research and practice is still at a developmental stage. This article aims to contribute to this nascent debate by contemplating the question- is it appropriate, or possible, for a white researcher to undertake decolonisation work in dental education? If so, what would it entail or 'look' like? To answer this important question, the author offers a reflective account of their ethical and epistemological journey with this very question. This journey begins with how I, a white researcher, first became aware of the everyday racism experienced by my racially and ethnically minoritized students, the whiteness of dental educational spaces and how my white privilege and position as a dental educator consciously and unconsciously implicated me in these processes of exclusion and discrimination. While this revelation led to a personal commitment to do better in my practice, both as an educator and a researcher, I continue to struggle with my white ignorance and white fragility as I strive to make my work more inclusive. To illustrate this, I discuss an ethnodrama project on everyday racism that I lead on and how, despite choosing a more democratic research method, hegemonic whiteness continued to make its presence felt through my 'going it alone' method of work. This reflective account reaffirms that regular and routine self-reflection is key to ensuring that racialised inappropriate and damaging assumptions, frameworks of thinking, and ways of working are checked for. However, my praxis won't evolve through critical introspection alone. I need to be open to making mistakes, educating myself about racism and anti-racist practice, asking for help and guidance from my minoritized colleagues and more importantly, committing to working with people from minoritized communities rather than on them.

Exploring dental academics' perceptions of and experience with discrimination in the UK and Ireland: a qualitative study

Introduction Diversity is known to be important but diversity of dental school academics in the UK and Ireland is low in comparison with the dental profession and the overall population. The aims were to explore whether UK and Ireland dental school academics are satisfied with their career progression, whether they believe that there are barriers to career progression in dental schools based on protected characteristics, and experience of discrimination at work.Methods An online survey, including four free-text questions related to the study aims, was circulated by the Dental Schools Council to dental academics at all UK and Ireland dental schools. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse free-text comments.Results and discussion There were 192 responses from 20 dental schools. Five data categories were constructed which highlight the impact of discrimination in dental academia, the importance of opportunities and support, different perspectives of diversity and discrimination, and academic and institutional culture.Conclusion Staff perceived and experienced barriers to career progression. Many were satisfied with their career progression, but a proportion of staff expressed dissatisfaction and attributed this to discrimination based upon protected characteristics. The culture in dental schools is beginning to change to address factors contributing to inequality in dental academia.

Ethnic diversity in academic dentistry in the United Kingdom

Careers in academic dentistry are failing to attract a new generation of academics to steer dental education and research. Dental academia is further limited by inadequacies in levels of ethnic diversity. There is a stark contrast between the diversity of graduates entering the dental profession and those in academic positions, especially in senior ranks. Dentistry is not the only field in academia, which lacks representation and lessons may be drawn from other faculties. This paper focuses on what is known about dental academia in the United Kingdom, where there are formal research training pathways. There is an emerging recognition of the requirement for action, and it is hoped this will stimulate debate and impetus for research across Europe. The terminology used throughout this piece follows the United Kingdom Cabinet Office recommendations for writing about ethnicity (Writing about ethnicity, 2021; https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/writing-about-ethnicity). Where cited sources have employed less acceptable terms (Please don't call me BAME or BME!: Civil service, 2019; https://civilservice.blog.gov.uk/2019/07/08/please-dont-call-me-bame-or-bme/), these have been changed.