Dentistry Personal Statement

Standing in an open hut in Panama with basic dental equipment was really when I realized how much I had changed my career goals since I first started. I was born in Iran and moved to the United States at the age of nine. I had always had an interest in dentistry as it gave me the ability to work with my hands while simultaneously helping individuals better their health and overall lives. While I knew that dentistry was the passion I wanted to pursue, I never knew in what area and how I would practice the profession. I enjoyed the craft and its components but needed to find my own path.

In the following years, I volunteered countless hours to shadowing, volunteering and learning about dentistry. Most of my time was spent assisting with patients

I went in wanting to understand oral health globally and methods that could be used to combat the problems. I have now come out with a completely different perspective of how to approach healthcare. Having worked in two different hospitals and three different projects, I was introduced to Operations Management It was here that I saw a potentially unexplored area in dentistry, the ability to use tools such as Lean and Six Sigma to make dental care more efficient. I believe that if implemented correctly, I can create a new way of approaching care that has not been widely utilized within the dental community, eventually making it more accessible for all individuals.

For various purposes, I then traveled abroad to Uganda and Panama. On these trips, it was the first time that it was demonstrated to me the value of providing access to care abroad. I witnessed the care that was given by the dentists and their limited ability to treat their patients. I learned the true value of education for individuals that may simply not have learned proper oral care, where a simple brushing technique for children as well as advising patients of ill practices may be the most efficient way of lowering their oral health