Once considered to be a career exclusively for men, dentistry in 2020 has certainly come a long way! This International Women’s Day, on 8 March, DSD applauds all the women who contribute to and play a role in the organization; both within the business itself and in the extensive network of dentists around the world.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day campaign is #EachforEqual, which promotes the idea that the thoughts and actions we all take as individuals play a part in creating gender equality, challenging stereotypes and widening our perceptions.

As a company founded on the legacy of the Keyes Coachman dentists going back as far as 1850 – a time when women were discouraged from formal education, let alone higher education and having a profession, DSD is proud to be a champion of women dentists and equality in the workplace. This is reflected in the fact that half of DSD employees are women. In what is still considered to be a male-dominated industry, DSD values equality where it counts. 

In the company of exceptional women 

Today, it’s hard to believe that just over 150 years ago there were no women dentists! Thanks to the persistence of trailblazers such as Lucy Beaman Hobbs, the first woman in the world to graduate from a recognized dental school in 1866; Emeline Roberts Jones, the first woman to establish herself in a regular dental practice in the United States; Josephine Wells, the first woman dentist in Canada (1893); and Lilian Lindsay, the first woman dentist in the UK (1895), dentistry is now a popular career choice for women worldwide. 

Here at Digital Smile Design, we have always been passionate about highlighting the many achievements of the members of our DSD Community from all over the world. We are always proud to recognize their commitment to clinical excellence and outstanding patient care. Among them are women who are not only making waves in dentistry as DSD Masters, KOLs, DSD Clinics and members of the DSD team, but who are instrumental in the success of Digital Smile Design.

Women in Digital Smile Design 

Our community brings together some outstanding women who are achieving excellence in clinical practice on a daily basis. They deliver life-changing results and experiences for their patients while running highly successful, profitable practices. 

As well as the many members of the DSD Community, some clinicians have taken this further and through their hard work and dedication, have risen to Master, KOL and DSD Clinic status. They have formed a powerful community, backing each other’s successes as they progress on their journey with DSD and in the dental industry. Being part of the tribe is one of the best things about being a part of the DSD Community! 

It’s not just our dentists who are fundamental for this success either; today we also recognize the dedication of the dental staff whose work is crucial for the implementation of DSD in a dental practice: from DSD Coordinators, to nurses and hygienists, to reception team members.

Below is our growing list of women in Digital Smile Design 

DSD Coordinators

• Amanda Pauga
• Bela Davtyan
• Danielle Lenamond
• Hannah Derbonne
• Chelsea Barrett
• Amanda Devine
• Caitlyn Matheny
• Suzanne Caines
• Crystal Mitton
• Hannah Dohl
• Natalya Gilsdorf
• Angela Thalassinos
• Amira Kljukevic
• Jessica Hopp
• Danielle Noguera
• Shannon Wells
• Jessica Clarke
• Sydney Vierra
• Danielle Lenamond
• Ibeth De La Cruz
• Rahat Kurmanalieva
• Gemma Fenech
• Lisa Gutschow
• Sydney Robins
• MaryAnn Hill
• Reena Man
• Reena Gill
• Kyla Bajwa
• Tiara Ingram
• Liz Luttinger
• Sindi Garcia
• Dayana Zamora
• Ashlee Cirigliano
• Casie Albright
• Inez Colson
• Gretchen Black
• Pam Kovar
• Marisa Bruzzese
• Tamana Hamnawa
• Kristen Conrad
• Samantha Terrill
• Darlene Tegenkamp
• Kelsie Spears
• Brooke Gruber
• Pamela Edwards
• Terea Nelli
• Ashleigh Fitzpatrick
• Ana Martínez
• Lorena Marin
• Luz Gomez
• Casey Palmateer
• Telma Lena
• Camilla Delabat
• Alexandra Gutersohn
• Denitsa Kaloyanova
• Jenny Servianski
• Mariell Garcia
  
  

DSD Masters

DSD Masters are certified experts in the Digital Smile Design concepts and workflow, having proven their knowledge by submitting three cases for approval to the DSD Planning Center. The women who have reached this status in our community and become DSD Masters are:

• Amira Al Raudhy 
• Andrea Shepperson 
• Carla de Castro 
• Daniela Grgic 
• Elaine Gorelik 
• Elaine Halley 
• Fabiana Xavier Brina 
• Fernanda Camargo 
• Grace Wang Fang
• Galina Razbash
• Hanadi Kassab
• Inna Rostker
• Kamsiah Haider
• Kathrin Trelles
• Laura Stoll
• Lauren Fowler
• Maria Cardenas
• Marie Clement 
• Morvarid Sepehr-Keshvari
• Niusha Barahmand Pour
• Peggy Bown
• Saghi Helmi
• Sheena Sood 
• Sule Unal

DSD Key Opinion Leaders 

Members of our DSD KOLs community are professionals who share a passion for Digital Smile Design and talk about the concepts at key international conferences worldwide. The women in our DSD KOL community are:

• Andrea Shepperson
• Carla de Castro 
• Elaine Halley
• Jacqueline Schneider
• Karla Soto 
• Amira Al Raudhy
• Fernanda Camargo 
• Kamsiah Haider
• Marie Clement
• Morvarid Sepehr-Keshvari

DSD Clinics run by women

• María Cárdenas DMD - María Cárdenas
• Trident Dentistry - Elaine Gorelik
• Lumino City Dental - Andrea Shepperson
• Vilafortuny - Kathrin Trelles
• The Dental Suite - Inna Rostker
• Helmi’s Dental Care - Saghi Helmi
• Ironwood Dental Care - Sheena Sood
• Peggy Bown Dentistry - Peggy Bown
• New Millenium Dental - Galina Razbash
  
  

Inside DSD company 

One of the many factors that sets DSD company apart from others in the dental industry is its representivity of women employees. Half of the staff members are women and their qualifications and experience span dentistry, orthodontics, prosthodontics, dental industry, and a variety of professional services. Below is a list of the women at DSD and their specific roles. 

DSD Company clinical staff

• Tatiana Coachman - Clinical Excellence Manager
• Carmen Caballero - European Education Coordinator
• Lindiane Rigo - USA Education Coordinator
• Lorena Labandera - CAD Designer Team Leader
• Alba Sánchez - CAD Designer
• Alejandra González - CAD Designer
• Carmen Frutos - Senior CAD Designer
• Daniela Gerónimo - Dentist-Orthodontist
• Dina Moreno - CAD Designer
• Kathy Dos Ramos - Dentist-Prosthodontist
• Laura Coirazza - Senior CAD Designer
• Laura Jiménez - CAD Designer
• Marta Sánchez - Senior CAD Designer
• Patricia Cañizares - CAD Designer
• Paula Picón - CAD Designer
• Verónica Padilla - Dentist-Orthodontist
• Paula Romano - CAD Designer
• Marta Alegre - CAD Designer

DSD Education

• Nicoly Coachman - Education Director Brazil
• Chantal Amarante - Brazil Education Coordinator

DSD Lab

• Renata Alves - Finance Manager
• Ángela Martín - Dental Prosthetic
• Ellen Teodoro - Impression Specialist

Administration

• Valeria Evangelista - Administración

Sales

• María Cabanellas - Sales Account Executive
• Cova Ramis - Sales Account Executive
  
  

DSD Marketing

• Marita Macdonald - Content Director
• Carlota Solla - Marketing Project Manager
• Stephanie Wrennall - Content Writer
• Daisy Mason - Content Writer
• Doris Da Silva - UX/UI Designer
• Katherine Jerez - Digital Account Executive

Customer support

• Vanessa Gonçalves - Clinical Customer Support
  
  

Corporate

• Diana Ruiz - Accounts and Payment Manager
• Sofía Hernández - Head of Administration
• Beatriz Primo - Corporate Lawyer

DSD China

• Emma Yin - Administration
• Penny Pan - Marketing

If you’re interested in learning more about the women trailblazers in dentistry and some interesting research about women in dentistry, check out the list below:

• The History of Women in Dentistry Part I: Emeline Roberts Jones. Keefe, R. (Oct 2018). 
  https://www.dew.life/2018/10/01/history-women-dentistry-emeline-roberts-jones/
  
  
• The History of Women in Dentistry Part II: Female Dentists Join the Military. 
  Keefe, R. (Oct 2018).
  https://www.dew.life/2018/10/10/history-female-dentists-join-military/
  
  
• The History of Women in Dentistry Part III: Leonie von Meusebach–Zesch, A Woman Ahead of Her Time.  Keefe, R. (Oct 2018). https://www.dew.life/2018/10/23/leonie-von-meusebach-zesch-woman-ahead-of-time/
  
  
• It’s Not Easy Being a Woman in Dentistry.  Miles, L. (Jan 2017). https://www.dew.life/2017/01/10/they-came-they-made-a-difference-they-stayed/
  
  
• The practice of dentistry by male and female dentists. Spencer, AJ and Lewis, JM. (1988). Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1988 Aug;16(4):202-7.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3165744
  
  
• The Great Gender Shift in Dentistry. Siler, H. (Jan 2018). https://microcopydental.com/blog/entry/the-great-gender-shift-in-dentistry
  
  
• The role of women in dental education: monitoring the pipeline to leadership. Reed MJ, Corry AM, Liu YW. (2012). J Dent Educ. 2012;76(11):1427-1436.
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23144477. 
  
  
• Women in dentistry see progress, continued challenges. Solana, K. (Jan 2016). ADA News website.
  http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/january/women-in-dentistry-see-progress-continued-challenges
  Published January 18, 2016. 
  
  
• Closing the gender gap in academic dentistry. Valachovic, R. (Nov 2014). ADEA Charting Progress.
  https://adeachartingprogress.wordpress.com/2014/11/14/closing-the-gender-gap-in-academic-dentistry Published November 14, 2014. 
  
  
• Number of women dentists is on the rise. Fox, K. (April 2012). ADA News website.
  http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2012-archive/april/number-of-women-dentists-is-on-the-rise  Published April 23, 2012. 
  
  
• Gender shift: The rising female demographic will change the face of dentistry. Drisko, C. (Dec 2013). Inside Dental Technology website.
  http://www.dentalaegis.com/idt/2013/12/trends-in-dentistry Published December 2013. 
  
  
• Professional practice among woman dentist. Pallavi SK and Rajkumar GC. (Jan-Jun 2011) J Int Soc Prev Community Dent. 2011;1(1):14-19. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894077/
  
  
• Women and the world of dentistry. Stewart F M J  and Drummond J R. (Jan 2000) British Dental Journal volume 188, pages 7–8(2000). https://www.nature.com/articles/4800372