Women contribution in Dentistry

Women in Dentistry in Pakistan

By  

Sadia Wali

Dental health is an essential part of the overall health system. With modern lifestyle, dental problems are becoming common among all sections of the society.  Improper dental care creates problems like early tooth shedding, tooth decay, enamel loss, etc. All these problems require proper suggestions of dentists to keep teeth healthy and fit for a long time. Thus, dentistry as a profession has become more demanding and because of its promising nature, a lot of young aspirants especially women are entering this profession. 

Today women are doing as much work as men; they are more productive and efficient. They are acquiring higher merit and are successful in both medical and dental fields.

 The number of women in dentistry continues to grow.  According to the American Dental Association, since 2001, the total market of active licensed women dentists has gone from 26,870 to 47,814, 43.8%increase. By the end of 201I- 12, 29,055 women were members of the ADA.  

  

In Pakistan women have succeeded marvelously in every sphere of life and have proved that they are more dedicated and committed towards their profession. Women form an increasingly important part of the trained workforce in Pakistan.  Over the last one-and-a-half years, women continue to enter dental profession. Pakistan Medical & Dental Council has been registering more women than men. 280 women and 166 men secured PMDC registration of their BDS degrees. From, 2008, to 2012, under PMDC registrations, 872 female dentists were registered. According to Sindh Health Department, In Sindh, 1,900 women hold the license to practice dentistry, there are said to be 1,277 women dental professionals in Sindh, but the number of male dental licensees is relatively low (1,242).  The situation is no different in Punjab and the federal area, where female dentists outnumber male dental practitioners (1,863 to 1,730). The statistics provided show a remarkable fact that currently the country has more female dentists than male one.

One of the reasons that the scope of dentistry is rising among females is that women who are seeking dental care feel more relaxed with a female dentist. Families who have a conservative mindset find it more appropriate that the female members of the family get treated by a woman.

‘Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions of one’s life. Being a professional dentist I believe that success in any field of life requires dedication, motivation and commitment says a young dentist. It is a matter of great pride for our country that talented women are working on an equal footing with men in every field of the life.’

‘I took up the profession of dentistry as I think that career in dentistry is personally fulfilling since a dentist is performing an important community service to help people uphold their health and appearance. I admired this significant role played by dentists. As I always had a good experience with dentist in my childhood, I opt to become a dentist’ says a demonstrator at a dental college in Karachi.

A dental graduate feels that a competent dentist has the knowledge and skills to deal with a patient’s oral health and also more efficiently serve the community. It is her aim to offer free dental services to the needy people.

A professional female dentist practicing full time in a clinic opines, “It is absolutely essential for a young dentist    to avail the opportunity of   learning different new technologies in dentistry to enhance her skills and capabilities.

A young lecturer says that dentistry is an appealing career; the field of dentistry is more preferable and desirable profession for women as it offers the flexibility to balance a professional life and personal goals, either they can work part time or full life. Although a significant majority is currently practicing (96%), about 20% are working part-time.

According to PDC, the number of women clinical faculty members has gradually increased. Until 2000, there had been only two women deans and very few associate/assistant deans .In 20011-12, there were 111 associate/assistant women deans and twelve women deans. These data show a progressive increase in the presence of women in all domains of dentistry, especially in leadership positions in dental education.

Now more women are doing postgraduate studies, FCPS, MDS, MCPS, MSC, Mphil and PhD and are engaged in teaching. Mostly, women opt to teach in the field of both clinical and basic dental sciences simultaneously they also do clinical practice to enhance their dental skills.    However women are still lagging behind in the field of specialization. A few women have learnt modern techniques and have specialized in different fields of dentistry.

Sarwat Imran, a professional dentist, graduated from de‘Montmorency of Dentistry, Lahore. She efficiently handles the cases of orthodontists, dental implantation and replacements and oral surgery. She feels that there is an essential need of female specialist in pedodontists and periodontists, because presently there are none in Pakistan. Female pedodontists provide complete dental care of children from birth to the end of adolescence, whereas female periodontists are specialists in gum diseases, which often occur in pregnant and menopausal women.   

Dr. Asma Ahmad has won the distinction as the first female laser dentist artist of Pakistan dentistry. She said that it is necessary for the young dentists to acquire professional training in the field of laser dentistry and then educate the masses about the benefits of this technology.

  

Prof Dr. Shakila Nazir and Prof. Nazia Yazdanie have done PhD.  Some other female specialist dentists are Dr Ninette Banday, Dr. Tasleem Hossein, Dinaz Gandhi, Dr Nadia Hussai ( model) and Dr. Urooj Mumtaz( cricketer).

A demonstrator in a dental college emphasized that dental graduates must opt for postgraduate studies as it provides the knowledge of modern developments in the field of dentistry. Moreover, earning prospects also rise up.   

An Associate female professor in a dental college thinks that women need to be more proficient in clinical and communication skills,   develop more patience, concentration and accuracy in their work. Strong interpersonal skills will help them to pursue their profession more efficiently.

The demand for dental services is growing in Pakistan. We need more women dentists who could provide awareness to women and children regarding dental care. Pakistani women dentists being highly qualified and experienced have changed the perception of the world.

With their promising talent, they have developed their potentials and expertise in the field of dentistry, thus establishing the fact that they can excel men in any field of life. To boost up the scope of dentistry among women, the Government and PMDC with their collaboration should provide education and research programmes of advance level to the teaching faculty. The post graduate studies and research work will helps to prepare the best teaching faculty that could provide knowledge and vast learning to young dental students.  To improve their clinical practices, women must be encouraged to opt for specialization in different fields of dentistry.  Workshops, seminars and dental courses will help to promote their clinical expertise and practical skills.