(32) Does Geographic Bias Exist in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Match Process?

Abstract: Does Geographic Bias Exist in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Match Process?Joshua R Weirich DDS; Sruthi Satishchandran DMD; Shelly Abramowicz, DMD, MPH

Background: Matching into an oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) residency program in the United States (US) involves a competitive application process. The National Matching Service uses an algorithm to optimize “a match” based on the ranked preference lists submitted by applicants and OMS residencies. Various surgical and medical specialties found that a relationship exists between the geographic location where an applicant attends medical school and the location of residency. However, information regarding this geographic relationship does not exist in OMS.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate if a relationship exists between the location of an applicant’s dental school and the location of the OMS program where the applicant is matched for residency.

Methods: Study team conducted a cross-sectional review of all civilian OMS applicants who participated in the Postdoctoral OMS Matching Program from 2012 to 2022. The US and the District of Columbia were subdivided into a specific Region and Division as defined by the US Census Bureau. The primary predictor variable was the geographic location of the applicant’s dental school. The outcome variable was the geographic location where the applicant matched for residency. The study team collected the following covariates: gender, city of birth, undergraduate institution, and application cycle year. Frequency tables were created for the expected and observed values for each possible combination of dental school and residency location. MATLAB R2023a software was used for statistical analysis. Chi-square test, odds ratio, and confidence interval were calculated to investigate association between variables. P < .05.

Results: A total of 1,768 applicants were reviewed. There were 968 residents who met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 48.45% (469/968, P < .00001) matched into a residency in the same US Region as their dental school; 36.26% (351/968, P < .00001) matched into the same US Division. Applicants were found to be significantly more likely to match into a program in the same US Region and Division as their dental school. There was a negative association between 8 of the possible 81 combinations of dental school and residency US Divisions and 7 of the possible 16 combinations of dental school and residency US Regions.

Conclusions: It is likely that individuals will match into OMS residency in the same US Region and Division as their dental school. This information helps applicants and residency programs during the match process.ReferencesCox R.M.; Sobel A.D.; Biercevicz A.; Eberson C.P.; Mulcahey M.K. “Geographic Trends in the Orthopedic Surgery Residency Match.” Journal of Graduate Medical Education, vol. 10, no. 4, 423, 2018Dhar V.K.; Hanseman D.J.; Young G.; Browne D.; Makley A.; Sussman J.J.; Goodman M.D. “Does Geographical Bias Impact the Match for General Surgery Residents?” Journal of Surgical Education, vol. 77, no. 2, 260, 2020

US Regions and Divisions
US Region Confidence Interval
US Division Confidence Interval