Building the Next Generation: How Women Can Lead as Mentors in Dentistry

The number of women within the dental industry, as well as women studying and aspiring to become dentists, has been progressively growing. Mentorship is essential to providing them with the tools they need to be successful.

The Importance of Mentorship

One thing that is relatively agreed upon by young, up-and-coming professionals is the fact that getting and starting a new job is nerve-wracking. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with entering a new stage of life, and beginning your career is one of the most stressful stages. However, one can feel a sense of support when you have someone with more experience helping you along the way. This mentorship can positively impact younger and less experienced dentists in several ways.

Firstly, mentorship is a major catalyst in the professional growth of a mentee. The more time and attention you give someone you are helping, to elevated levels of confidence, the development of essential skills, and increased insight into what their position requires. These are some of the most important things that can benefit both a mentor and a mentee. The more confident, skilled, and insightful someone becomes, the more independently they can tackle the work they are assigned. The longer you mentor someone, the stronger that relationship can become. This can lead to future opportunities and increased credibility for both people within the relationship.

Secondly, mentorship is important to help women in dentistry overcome the challenges and biases one can receive as a women in dentistry. For various reasons, it can be difficult to be a woman in the industry. Giraud (2024) mentioned that the dentistry community over 55 in the UK is predominantly male. While there is a more recent trend of increasing numbers of women entering dentistry, there are still not as many highly experienced examples for them to look to for inspiration. In addition, life outside of being a dentist can create bias and difficulty when working in their occupations. In an article from the British Dental Association, the EDI Committee Co-Chair Lauren Harrhy spoke on how she didn’t feel “welcome to stay in [her] first associate position when [she] revealed [she] was expecting my first child,” and that balancing dentistry with the demands of being a wife and mother to three young children, at times, been tough.” (Harrhy, 2024) Having support from someone who has been through similar issues and situations can help give them the confidence to be successful and stay true to who they are.

Thirdly, mentorship helps build a strong and supportive network for those who need it. One of the scariest things that someone can deal with is not being comfortable enough or not knowing who to talk to at work, and strong communication is a large factor in the success of dental care organisations of all kinds. As a mentor, you can be a major source in assisting the development and growth of other women in dentistry by offering career guidance and mental support throughout their journeys. Not only does this lead to an increase in successful women in dentistry, but also in sustaining higher retention rates.

Finally, this mentorship can inspire the next generation of women in dentistry to become leaders and mentors themselves. One of the major themes this article will focus on is leading by example. We will delve a bit deeper into some effective methods of mentorship within dentistry, but all of these different ways of reaching out to their successors can all end in the same result. The visual representation of a woman in a position of power using her influence to create positive change on top of a successful career can resonate with up-and-coming women in the industry, inspiring them to do the same. This leads to a continued legacy of support and success, making the field more diverse and inclusive, and creating an even deeper and more powerful link of mentorship that will inspire the generation after them to aspire for leadership and innovation.

Good Ways to Mentor Female Dentists

Now that we are seeing the bigger picture of how mentorship can be impactful, we should also look at different methods of mentorship that can be truly impactful for the future of women in dentistry. Here is a list of three effective ways of mentoring the future of dentists in the UK:

1.   Developing Individual Skills and Knowledge

The most essential aspect of developing the next wave of dentists is teaching and emphasizing which skills they will need to understand to be successful in their occupations. To develop their confidence and insight, they need to know what they’re doing and how to do it. Two very strong methods that can help are utilizing one-on-one mentorship and skill workshops. Creating different spaces for a mentor to teach a mentee the keys to success creates environments to not only expose them to various skills and knowledge bases for them to focus on, but also to understand how they learn, digest, and apply information most effectively. 

2.   Expanding Horizons Through Experience and Networking

Knowledge is power, but experience is the best teacher. If you cannot take your skills and knowledge and properly apply them in the right situations, then your expertise becomes pointless. As a mentor, you can help bridge the gap between the theoretical and practical through shadowing/internships and networking. Allowing a mentee to see more of what the industry is like through the words and the work of other distinguished and established dentists can provide them a chance to better understand how to be successful within their field. These two methods create a combination of logistical insight, growth of opportunity, and inspiration that allows them to visualize what they can be and how to realistically make it happen.

3.   Guiding Holistic Development

In dentistry, success isn’t just about clinical skills—it’s about thriving as a whole person. Mentors can play a vital role in helping mentees manage the balance between creating a successful and fulfilling career while also taking care of themselves, their family, and their social life. Mentors can emphasize the importance of work-life balance and wellness, as well as community engagement to their mentees. Mentors can be a source of advice and support to help mentees understand that, while their careers are important, they should also find ways to prioritize their mental, physical, and spiritual health. In addition, asserting the importance of family values and maintaining a strong social life can make all the difference. Furthermore, promoting community engagement and outreach will instill an added sense of purpose and social responsibility that will lead to the development of strong leaders in the future.

 

Sources:

Giraud, V. (2024, March 8). Women in dentistry – 2024 | SpaDental Group. SpaDental. https://www.spadental.co.uk/blog/2024/03/women-in-dentistry/#:~:text=Over%2050%25%20of%20UK%20dentists%20are%20women&text=A%20quick%20look%20at%20SpaDental’s,good%20balance%20of%20women%20dentists. 

Harrhy, L. (2024, March 8). Unique challenges face women in dentistry. British Dental Association. https://www.bda.org/news-and-opinion/blog/unique-challenges-face-women-in-dentistry/