Now that International Women’s Day is here, it is a great time to recognize all of the exciting ways that women in dentistry have progressed throughout the years. The first female dentist was licensed in Canada back in 1898. But a lot has happened in the last 123 years. More and more women have been getting involved in the field, helping to advance dentistry to a whole new level that no one has seen before. Continue reading to learn more about women in dentistry.
More Women Are Graduating in Dentistry
Like many different disciplines, dentistry is a field that used to be primarily dominated by men, but this has been gradually changing throughout the years. Back in 2016, 29.8% of all dentists in the United States were female. This still isn’t perfectly proportional, as about 50.8% of the American populations is woman. However, you can still see the increase in number of women pursuing dentistry. Due to the increased number of women in the field, there are also more prominent female figures to look up to as well.
Changes in the Overall Dental Experience for Patients
Now that more women are working in the oral healthcare field, many patients have described their experience at the dental office to be different. Female dentists have been described to be more empathetic. The dental office used to be something the people feared, but now patients tend to feel additional comfort when they spend time in the practice getting dental work done.
Female Dentists Come from More Diverse Backgrounds
Dentists who are female tend to come from a wider variety of backgrounds than dentists who are men. More diversity in dentistry brings addition creativity, ideas, and experiences. This also means that there is more cultural and language diversity in the field.
Women in Dentistry Aren’t Just Dentists
According to the American Dental Hygienist Association, about 98% of the nation’s dental hygienists are female. There also tends to be a larger percentage of female dental assistants as well. The majority of dentists out there are men, but this isn’t the case in other areas of the field.
Dentistry has come a long way and there are still so many exciting changes coming up in the future. It is very apparent that dentistry won’t always be a male-dominated field. More and more women are shining through as time goes on.
About the Author
Dr. Giuliana Diaz Jones is an experienced dentist who has been working in the field for more than two decades. She received her dental education from El Bosque University in Bogota, Columbia before pursuing her specialty prosthodontics training at Nova Southeastern University. Currently, she is a member of the American College of Prosthodontists and the Academy of Osseointegration. For more information or to schedule an appointment at her office in Vero Beach, visit her website or call (772) 234-5353.