diff --git a/packages/react/src/dialog/root/DialogRoot.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/dialog/root/DialogRoot.test.tsx
index 08ff285fd0..e960fcc5d6 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/dialog/root/DialogRoot.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/dialog/root/DialogRoot.test.tsx
@@ -337,6 +337,36 @@ describe('<Dialog.Root />', () => {
       });
       expect(handleOpenChange.callCount).to.equal(1);
     });
+
+    it('dismisses when clicking a descendant element within the user backdrop', async () => {
+      const handleOpenChange = spy();
+
+      const { queryByRole } = await render(
+        <Dialog.Root defaultOpen onOpenChange={handleOpenChange} modal>
+          <Dialog.Portal>
+            <Dialog.Backdrop data-testid="backdrop">
+              <span data-testid="backdrop-child">Child</span>
+            </Dialog.Backdrop>
+            <Dialog.Popup />
+          </Dialog.Portal>
+        </Dialog.Root>,
+      );
+
+      const backdropChild = screen.getByTestId('backdrop-child');
+
+      fireEvent.mouseDown(backdropChild);
+
+      expect(queryByRole('dialog')).not.to.equal(null);
+      expect(handleOpenChange.callCount).to.equal(0);
+
+      fireEvent.click(backdropChild);
+
+      await waitFor(() => {
+        expect(queryByRole('dialog')).to.equal(null);
+      });
+      expect(handleOpenChange.callCount).to.equal(1);
+      expect(handleOpenChange.firstCall.args[1].reason).to.equal('outside-press');
+    });
   });
 
   it('waits for the exit transition to finish before unmounting', async ({ skip }) => {
diff --git a/packages/react/src/dialog/root/useDialogRoot.ts b/packages/react/src/dialog/root/useDialogRoot.ts
index 383872680a..51c266cfdf 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/dialog/root/useDialogRoot.ts
+++ b/packages/react/src/dialog/root/useDialogRoot.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import {
   useInteractions,
   useRole,
 } from '../../floating-ui-react';
-import { getTarget } from '../../floating-ui-react/utils';
+import { contains, getTarget } from '../../floating-ui-react/utils';
 import { useScrollLock } from '../../utils/useScrollLock';
 import { useTransitionStatus, type TransitionStatus } from '../../utils/useTransitionStatus';
 import type { RequiredExcept, HTMLProps, FloatingUIOpenChangeDetails } from '../../utils/types';
@@ -134,14 +134,15 @@ export function useDialogRoot(params: useDialogRoot.Parameters): useDialogRoot.R
       }
       const target = getTarget(event) as Element | null;
       if (isTopmost && dismissible) {
-        const eventTarget = target as Element | null;
         // Only close if the click occurred on the dialog's owning backdrop.
         // This supports multiple modal dialogs that aren't nested in the React tree:
         // https://github.com/mui/base-ui/issues/1320
         if (modal) {
-          return internalBackdropRef.current || backdropRef.current
-            ? internalBackdropRef.current === eventTarget || backdropRef.current === eventTarget
-            : true;
+          const internalBackdrop = internalBackdropRef.current;
+          const userBackdrop = backdropRef.current;
+          if (internalBackdrop || userBackdrop) {
+            return contains(internalBackdrop, target) || contains(userBackdrop, target);
+          }
         }
         return true;
       }