Women in Dentistry

Women in Dentistry: Thank You!

Kathlene Gerrity, Executive Director

This year, the CSDA held a premier event at the Charter Oak Annual Meeting, a luncheon to

celebrate Women in Dentistry in Connecticut. This event gave women, and those who support them, a chance to connect over issues and challenges specific to being a female oral health care provider. Beyond networking, this event provided a collegial networking opportunity, focusing on the exponential growth of female dentists in Connecticut, and the impact they are having on the profession, communities, and organized dentistry. We welcomed educators, practice owners and associates, hygienists and critical team members, policy makers, and several very supportive spouses. Networking covered students and residents to retirees, and we welcomed colleagues from five different states. We are already planning the 2024 event and hope that you will join us for the next uplifting event.

At the CSDA House of Delegates, and the subsequent annual meeting, we discussed the opportunities unfolding for our profession and the trends that are impacting the direction of our chosen field. One of the significant shifts in the industry over the last decade has been the number of female dentists, here in Connecticut and nationally. Between 2010 and 2020, the percentage of female dentists grew from 24% to 35%. This increase is forecasted to continue, supported by in the growth female dental school graduates. In 2009, females accounted for 46% of dental school graduates; ten years later the percentage was reaching 51%. For the first time in history, the majority of applicants to U.S. dental schools are female. The incoming class of our own UCONN SoDM is 58% female, trending higher than the national average.

With these statistics and trends come a plethora of noteworthy females in organized dentistry today. This year CSDA’s House of Delegates was conducted by a female for the first time in history; Dr. Mimi DeLessio-Matta did a magnificent job keeping order as Speaker of the House and moving us through a hefty agenda with authority and her signature smile. The CSDA President’s gavel was handed to Dr. Michael Safian by Dr. Bethaney Brenner, whose term included impressive growth for the organization as we continued to turn the post-pandemic corner. Dr. Linda Edgar (Washington state) will be appointed ADA President at the October ADA House of Delegates meeting. And equally important are those that serve daily in practices and public health settings throughout our state. All aspects of the dental profession include women who are making strides, and the CSDA would like to acknowledge them. The Celebrating Women in Dentistry is a step towards this mission.

To recognize this growing and important piece of our profession, the CSDA Awards Committee recently established the Emeline Roberts Jones Award, named after the first female dentist in the United States. Dr. Jones married her husband, Daniel, at the age of 18. A true pioneer to our profession, she began to practice dentistry at his office in Danielsonville, CT in 1855, becoming his partner four years later. At the event of her husband’s early death, she went on to establish a successful practice in New Haven, while raising her two children solo. Emeline Roberts Jones continues to set an example for men and women alike today.

The Emeline Roberts Jones Award was presented at the Celebrating Women in Dentistry Luncheon; the recipient being Ms. Josephine (Jo) Bicknell. Her leadership and years of service in the CT Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic and both the Connecticut State Dental Association and Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach brighten the future and live harmoniously with Dr. Jones’s image.

While we recognize Jo for her amazing work, she is one of many women who deserve to be acknowledged. In this, I would like to expand beyond the Women’s Luncheon, and extend my praise to all of you. Whether you are a women in dentistry or support women in dentistry; whether you are a dentist, a hygienist, a dental assistant, or another part of the dental team; whether you are the spouse, child, or friend of a women in dentistry; or whether you work to enhance the dental profession inside a practice or through another means: thank you for your work and for supporting the women around you. This profession would not be the innovative success it is today without each and every one of your contributions.

Thank you for all that you do. Your hard work is creating a future I look forward to.