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As a dentist from India, I have long been immersed in the study of oral health care in my country, provoked by the sheer shock of learning, as a dental student, that my country has a high rate of oral cancer in the world. Mainly since I have permanently settled in America and have also become a mother, I have come to think in more global terms about oral cancer as well as oral health issues in general. The fact that India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation within a few decades underscores the problem. My motto is that no problem is too huge to devote your life to solving it.
My passion for dentistry got off to an early start when my sister had a bilateral mandibular fracture. The care she was provided by the maxillofacial surgeon and other dentists was profoundly inspiring. During her recovery, I accompanied her on every checkup, and marveled at her dentist's skill and compassion.
While I was doing my Bachelor of Dental Surgery at XXXX Dental College, I participated actively in surveys, research, conferences, seminars, and group discussions. As an intern, I worked in numerous dental camps serving rural populations, where our dental care was the only dental care they had ever received. At first, I was shocked to see the state of their oral health, but after providing treatment, I felt fortunate to have served them well despite our limited resources. My long-term goal for a couple of decades down the road is to return to India as an accomplished dentist and contribute what I can to advancing dentistry education and oral health care in my home country.
After completing dental school in India in 2006, I practiced dentistry for four years before moving to America. Dentistry provided me with an immense sense of satisfaction and contentment. I was always determined to choose a career that would provide me with an inner sense of mission and the happiness that comes from fulfilling one’s highest dream and calling. What can be more gratifying than alleviating pain and watching the smiles of joy and relief on the faces of my patients?
My husband and I both always dreamed of studying and then practicing dentistry in the United States, so we moved here together in pursuit of that future. I passed the NBDE part 1 and earned a score of 105 on the TOEFL, thus meeting the basic requirements for applying to dental schools. I have also spent countless hours shadowing and helping out around the practice for several different dentists, in addition to taking CE courses since my arrival in America.
While my husband was doing his MBA in healthcare in Chicago, I was pregnant. I did shadowing under Dr. XXXX (DDS) for 20 hours a week from July 2010 to June 2012, as well as volunteered at St. Bernard Hospital, Dental Unit, under Dr. XXXX DMD for 12 hours a week from July 2011 to June 2012. After my husband got admitted into the IDS program at the University of Pacific, we moved to California. The entire responsibility of looking after my little son was now on me since my in-laws, who are permanent US residents, went to India for a couple of years to wrap up things back home. Nonetheless, whenever my husband had a vacation, I completed an observership at a community clinic. After coming back to Chicago in June 2014, I went back to volunteer at the practice of Dr.XXXX, where I continue until today as a dental assistant.
What I like to see as another strength of my application to your competitive program is the fact that I am part of what I call a ‘dental family’, since my husband is also a dentist. After earning my doctoral degree here in the USA, I plan to join my husband’s dental practice since we want to work together and his practice is already well established. Then, over time, I want to devote less and less time to our own practice and spend more and more time attending to the oral health needs of our underserved by working in conjunction with our community hospital system. I also look forward to studying further in the specialty of Endodontics as I find it to be a fascinating subject in dentistry.
I am a determined individual who is highly passionate about patient care. I feel strongly that my high level of confidence and ability to focus, along with my teamwork skills, compassion, and love for both the human sciences and the underserved in particular, combine together, making me a strong candidate for your program for international dentists. Flexible and highly adaptable, I look forward to a long life of constant challenges in dentistry; always hungry to learn new things, especially in the area of ever-changing technological advancements in our field.
Since my son has now started school and my husband has his dental practice well established, I am currently in the optimal position to give every fiber of my being to dentistry again and excel in your program. I particularly look forward to learning everything that I can about how to better enhance global awareness of the need for preventive dentistry and the spread of modern dental techniques to the Developing World, especially to rural areas.
I thank you for considering my application.