March 8th is International Women’s Day, which means for dentists, it’s a good time to think about the important progress that has been made surrounding women’s representation in this field. Dentistry was once a boy’s club, but thankfully more and more women are working as dentists, assistants, and hygienists in recent years.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, here’s a brief overview of how women have been able to stake their place in the dental field.
More Degrees, More Dentists
Recently, significant efforts have gone into making these areas STEM more hospitable to women. As a result, women now actually earn dental degrees at a much higher rate than men—in 2016, at the University of British Columbia’s Dental school, 34 women graduated with degrees for every 24 men.
This research makes the future for women in dentistry look promising. As these graduates enter the workforce and open their own practices, the demographics of dentists will start to look a lot different.
The Snowball Effect
The benefits of women entering dentistry can be compounding; the more women there are in the field, the more comfortable young girls feel in choosing it as an area of study. Social psychologist Penelope Lockwood studied the motivation of young women who are interested in dentistry, and she found that their role models were predominantly other women.
These students believed that women in their field have dealt with issues regarding their gender that they will as well. Seeing someone overcome these obstacles can be inspiring, which means that women making a name as dentists inspires young girls to be interested in the career path.
The Importance of Hygienists
Finally, it’s worth noting that while women are a little underrepresented among dentists, they’ve long been a presence in dentistry. According to the ADA, while only 35 percent of dentists are women, they make up a whopping 95 percent of dental hygienists.
All too often, dental hygienists don’t get nearly enough respect for the time they spend with patients, and the incredible know-how and expertise required to do their work effectively. In celebrating women, it’s a good idea to remember the important role that dental hygienists play in oral healthcare, and that they deserve all the same respect that dentists do.
About Our Practice
At Michelsen Dental, we want our patients to be able to enjoy the greatest care that dentistry has to offer in an environment that will put them at ease. Our Dr. Renu Michelsen is enormously proud to be a woman in dentistry, and with 20 years of experience in her field, she feels confident in her ability to help every patient achieve the smile of their dreams.
If you have any questions about how you can improve your oral health, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (714) 538-1178.
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