Camouflaged prejudice perceived by parents of pediatric dentistry patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35699/2178-1990.2025.53781Keywords:
behavior, pediatric dentistry, dentists, prejudice, racism, studentsAbstract
Objective: To analyze the association between camouflaged prejudice expressed by parents/guardians of pediatric dentistry patients, dentist characteristics, and sociodemographic factors.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 104 parents/guardians of patients at the pediatric dentistry clinic of a Brazilian university. The study was approved by the institutional Ethics Committee (CAAE: 05021018.7.0000.5149). Data were collected in the clinic’s waiting room through a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic information (age, sex, income, education level, self-reported skin color), dentists characteristics (gender, skin color, attire, body type, education level, and patience) that most caught the attention of the parents/guardians, and the Brazilian version of the Modern Racism Scale (BR-RM). The BR-RM comprises two domains: denial of prejudice (reflecting the belief that non-white individuals already benefit from legal advantages) and affirmation of differences (reflecting the belief that white and non-white individuals differ in various abilities). Descriptive analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to assess the association between the studied variables and the total BR-RM score and its domains (p<0.05).
Results: Most respondents were female (74%). Higher scores in the denial of prejudice domain were observed among parents/guardians who reported caring about the dentist’s gender identity (p=0.039). In the affirmation of differences domain, higher scores were observed among parents/guardians of female patients (p=0.009).
Conclusion: Camouflaged prejudice was identified among parents/guardians who considered the dentist’s gender important, particularly among those whose children were girls. These individuals held stronger beliefs that white dentists differ from non-white dentists.
References
Santos WS, Gouveia VV, Navas MS, Pimentel CE, Gusmão EES. Escala de racismo moderno: adaptação ao contexto brasileiro. Psicol Estud [Internet]. 2006;11:637-45. [cited 2024 May 31]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-73722006000300020.
Universal declaration of human rights [Internet]. New York: United Nations. [updated 2024 May 16; cited 2025 May 9]. Available from: https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day/know-your-rights.
Beech BM, Ford C, Thorpe Jr RJ, Bruce MA, Norris KC. Poverty, racism, and the public health crisis in America. Front Public Health. 2021;6:699049.
Segers S, Mertes H. The curious case of “trust” in the light of changing doctor-patient relationships. Bioethics. 2022;36:849-57.
Oliveira MA, Vale MP, Bendo CB, Paiva SM, Serra-Negra JM. Influence of negative dental experiences in childhood on the development of dental fear in adulthood: a case-control study. J Oral Rehabil. 2017;44:434-41.
Tadakamadla SK, Rathore V, Mitchell AE, Kaul A, Morawska A. Child- and family-level factors associated with toothbrushing frequency in a sample of Australian children. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2022;32:639-48.
Bastos JL, Celeste RK, Paradies YC. Racial inequalities in oral health. J Dent Res. 2018;97:878-86.
Lamenha-Lins RM, Paiva SM, Prado IM, Assis Vieira AC, Pithon MM, Maia LC, et al. Facial type, sex and skin color of pediatric patients are associated with dental students’ empathy and self-confidence during dental care. J Dent Child. 2022;89:75-82.
Barbabela D, Mota JPT, Maia PGM, Bonanato K, Paiva SM, Pordeus IA. Preferência da criança pelo gênero do odontopediatra. Arq Odontol, 2016;44:74-80.
Lima MEO, Vala J. As novas formas de expressão do preconceito e do racismo. Estud Psicol. 2004;9:401-11. [cited 2024 May 31]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-294X200400030000.
Mancilla-Valdez E. The gender of late modern racism in 100 cartoons. Anduli. 2022;21:75-103.
Dixon AR. Colorism and classism confounded: Perceptions of discrimination in Latin America. Soc Sci Res. 2019;79:32-55.
Ekehammar B, Akrami N, Araya T. Gender differences in implicit prejudice. Pers Individ Dif. 2003;34(8):1509-23.
Silva MEB, Anunciação D, Trad LAB. Violence and vulnerability: the everyday life of black youth in suburbs of two Brazilian state capitals. Cien Saude Colet. 2024;29:e04402023.
Carvalho G, Prado IM, Moura LK, Cardoso-Santos Y, Freitas TC, Nogueira RF, et al. Parents/guardians’ gender preferences, confidence, and empathy for their children’s dentist. Pesqui Bras Odontopediatria Clín Integr. 2025;25:e240047.
Singhal A, Jackson JW. Perceived racial discrimination partially mediates racial-ethnic disparities in dental utilization and oral health. J Public Health Dent. 2022;82:63-72.
Wizentier MM, Stephenson BJK, Goodman MS. The measurement of racism in health inequities research. Epidemiol Rev. 2023;45:32-43.
Nath S, Sethi S. Bastos JL, Constante HM, Mejia G, Haag D, et al. The global prevalence and severity of dental caries among racially minoritized children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Caries Res. 2023;57:485-508.
McConahay JB. Modern racism, ambivalence, and the modern racism scale. In JF Dovidio, SL Gaertner (Eds.). Prejudice, discrimination, and racism. San Diego: Academic Press; 1986.91-125.
Cunha RO, Leite ICG, Nogueira MC, Cruz DT. Interfaces entre racismo e Odontologia – necessidade de reconhecer para mudar: uma revisão narrativa. Rev ABENO. 2024;24:2199.
Pashak T, Conley M, Whitney D, Oswald S, Heckroth S, Schumacher E. Empathy diminishes prejudice: Active perspective-taking, regardless of target and mortality salience, decreases implicit racial bias. Psychology. 2018;9:1340-56.
Abuelezam NN, Castro Samayoa A, Dinelli A, Fitzgerald B. Naming racism in the public health classroom. PLoS One. 2020;15:e0243560.
