CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 8

22 | 2018 | Issue 8 I ssues and P eople The impact of such demographic shifts on the future of the profession is that in general, women have more family demands and responsibilities early in their careers, while the men who enter the profession tend to work more hours at the start of their career but then slow down as their careers progress. Although women entering the profession may not be working as much at the beginning of their careers, if you look over the lifetime of their careers, they work an equal number of hours over the entire span, but just at different stages compared to men. The other factor we’ve seen about women is that they are more likely to become employees at a practice, which feeds into the phenomenon that is growing in both the U.S. and Canada, corporate- owned and other large group practice models. Finally, another pattern we’ve identified is that women and those from minority groups are more likely to accept Medicaid patients, those who are receiving government-supported health insurance. These practitioners are also willing to spend more time with each patient. So, the trends that we’re seeing among women dentists will be interesting to track in the future. Q: Another statistic in the report relates to the growing number of students from lower socioeconomic status entering dental schools. If you link this to the finding that large proportions of African-American and Hispanic students also place a higher value on servicing vulnerable and low-income populations, will this have a long-term impact on the profession in terms of improved access to oral health care? RV: That’s a great question and I think one that starts with the fact that no matter what our race or ethnicity is, many of us tend to go back or be drawn to the communities that we came from. And while this isn’t a hard rule and doesn’t always hold true, we’ve seen that patients often want to be treated by a professional who understands their culture and values, and therefore may be more comfortable with in a dental practice setting. As I mentioned before, dentists from under-represented minority groups also tend to be more willing to accept Medicaid patients and those from lower socioeconomic groups, so this trend should help access to care in the future. Q: One other figure that stood out was that only 0.4% of students surveyed said they would immediately enter the teaching ranks in dentistry. With such a small number, can the profession sustain an adequate level of dental faculty at its schools? RV: If you look beyond that one question, 50% of dental school seniors say that during their career they hope or expect to be involved in an academic career. Although less than 1% are thinking about going into an academic career immediately, the reality is the requirements of becoming a faculty member prevents you from walking out of dental school with a diploma in hand and then walking back in the next day as a faculty member! For the most part, you need additional education and experience and much of that learning occurs over those first two or three years after graduation. That’s when you gain valuable experience and have a chance to really decide what you’re capable of and where your interests may lie. Dentists from under-represented minority groups also tend to be more willing to accept Medicaid patients and those from lower socioeconomic groups, so this trend should help access to care in the future. To hear the full interview with Dr. Valachovic, visit Oasis Dicussions wp.me/p2Lv6A-64n This interviewhasbeencondensed andedited. Theviewsexpressedarethoseofthe authoranddonotnecessarilyreflect theopinionsorofficialpoliciesofthe CanadianDentalAssociation.