Investigation of discrimination in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation in dental treatmen

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00037399

Enrollment

200

Registered

2025-07-11

Start date

2026-04-02

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Experiences of discrimination (based on gender identity and sexual orientation) within the field of dentistry and in everyday life Anticipated discrimination and associated behavioral adjustments (gender identity, sexual orientation) within dentistry and in everyday life Coping strategies for dealing with discrimination (gender identity, sexual orientation) in the field of dentistry and in everyday life

Interventions

Group 1: Exploratory cross-sectional study, a one-time Germany-wide data collection via an online questionnaire. Data collected in the questionnaire: Informed consent, sociodemographic data, gender an

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 1000 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: People who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, inter, or asexual and who have regular same-sex sexual contact (LSBTQIA*) Control group: People who self-identify as heterosexual, monoamorous, cisgender, non-intersex, and who do not have regular same-sex sexual contacts.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: People who have not yet reached the age of 18

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Primary outcome: Discrimination in dental treatment Sections of the questionnaire: 0. Information and informed consent 1. Sociodemographic data 2. Gender and gender identity 3. Sexual orientation 4. Factors influencing oral/dental health 5. Conflicts related to sexual orientation/gender identity 6. Discriminatory/traumatizing events in everyday life outside the dental context 7. Dental care 8. Coming out during dental care 9. Discrimination in dental settings 10. Wishes for dentistry/medicine? The primary outcome is measured using the following instruments: Experiences of discrimination are measured using the “Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS),” which has been translated into German and adapted to the dental context. (Sections 6 and 9) To measure anticipated discrimination and associated behavioral adjustments, the Heightened Vigilance Scale by Clark et al. is used. (Sections 6 + 9) To measure coping strategies for dealing with discrimination, a battery of items based on McNeilly and Krieger is used. (Sections 6 + 9) Experiences of conflict related to sexual orientation or gender identity are measured using a single item designed specifically for this study. (Sections 5 + 8) To date, there are no specifically validated instruments for measuring experiences related to the disclosure of sexual orientation or gender identity in a dental context. Therefore, supplementary individual items are used that are based on existing scales for measuring stigmatization in healthcare (e.g., Experienced and Anticipated Sexual Stigma Scale in Healthcare Services, EASSSiHS). (Sections 8 + 9)	—

Measure

Time frame

Primary outcome: Discrimination in dental treatment Sections of the questionnaire: 0. Information and informed consent 1. Sociodemographic data 2. Gender and gender identity 3. Sexual orientation 4. Factors influencing oral/dental health 5. Conflicts related to sexual orientation/gender identity 6. Discriminatory/traumatizing events in everyday life outside the dental context 7. Dental care 8. Coming out during dental care 9. Discrimination in dental settings 10. Wishes for dentistry/medicine? The primary outcome is measured using the following instruments: Experiences of discrimination are measured using the “Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS),” which has been translated into German and adapted to the dental context. (Sections 6 and 9) To measure anticipated discrimination and associated behavioral adjustments, the Heightened Vigilance Scale by Clark et al. is used. (Sections 6 + 9) To measure coping strategies for dealing with discrimination, a battery of items based on McNeilly and Krieger is used. (Sections 6 + 9) Experiences of conflict related to sexual orientation or gender identity are measured using a single item designed specifically for this study. (Sections 5 + 8) To date, there are no specifically validated instruments for measuring experiences related to the disclosure of sexual orientation or gender identity in a dental context. Therefore, supplementary individual items are used that are based on existing scales for measuring stigmatization in healthcare (e.g., Experienced and Anticipated Sexual Stigma Scale in Healthcare Services, EASSSiHS). (Sections 8 + 9)

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Secondary outcome: Oral health, physical and mental health Sections of the questionnaire: 0. Information and informed consent 1. Sociodemographic data 2. Gender and gender identity 3. Sexual orientation 4. Factors influencing oral/dental health 5. Conflicts related to sexual orientation/gender identity 6. Discriminatory/traumatizing events in everyday life outside the dental context 7. Dental care 8. Coming out during dental care 9. Discrimination in dental settings 10. Wishes for dentistry/medicine? The secondary endpoint is measured using the following instruments: The use of oral hygiene aids is measured using a multiple-choice question based on established survey instruments in oral epidemiology. (World Health Organization - Oral Health Surveys) (Section 2) In addition, health- and behavior-related factors are assessed using individual items: Oral factors: parafunctional activity as self-reported; health-related variables: mental disorders, eating disorders, HIV status as self-reported diagnoses; lifestyle-related factors: tobacco and alcohol use, use of other drugs) (Section 2) The selection and structure of the items for measuring dental care are based on established models of health services research as well as on survey approaches described in the literature regarding the use of and access to dental care (WHO items) and have been adapted to the study’s research questions. (Section 7)	—

Measure

Time frame

Secondary outcome: Oral health, physical and mental health Sections of the questionnaire: 0. Information and informed consent 1. Sociodemographic data 2. Gender and gender identity 3. Sexual orientation 4. Factors influencing oral/dental health 5. Conflicts related to sexual orientation/gender identity 6. Discriminatory/traumatizing events in everyday life outside the dental context 7. Dental care 8. Coming out during dental care 9. Discrimination in dental settings 10. Wishes for dentistry/medicine? The secondary endpoint is measured using the following instruments: The use of oral hygiene aids is measured using a multiple-choice question based on established survey instruments in oral epidemiology. (World Health Organization - Oral Health Surveys) (Section 2) In addition, health- and behavior-related factors are assessed using individual items: Oral factors: parafunctional activity as self-reported; health-related variables: mental disorders, eating disorders, HIV status as self-reported diagnoses; lifestyle-related factors: tobacco and alcohol use, use of other drugs) (Section 2) The selection and structure of the items for measuring dental care are based on established models of health services research as well as on survey approaches described in the literature regarding the use of and access to dental care (WHO items) and have been adapted to the study’s research questions. (Section 7)

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Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactWiebke Semper-Hogg

Uniklinikum Freiburg im Breisgau

wiebke.semper.hogg@uniklinik-freiburg.de0761-27048660

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Aug 10, 2026