By Dina Weinstein 

With a rare opportunity for hands-on (and even foot-on) training, Ava Simms got special insight into the hardest surface in the human body – and one of the hardest issues in dentistry.

Simms, an 11th-grader at John Marshall High School in Richmond, was under the tutelage of Crystal Turner, a fourth-year student in Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Dentistry. Working on a training tile, and using a handheld drill and rheostat foot pedal, Simms explored tooth surfaces to differentiate the rock-hard enamel from the dentin and pulp layers of teeth.

Simms also was exploring career opportunities in a field with little minority representation. On Feb. 28 at the School of Dentistry, she and more than 50 other Richmond public school students attended the Diversify Dentistry Youth Summit, one of eight sessions nationwide this year and the first on the East Coast.

“I wanted to come because it’s more hands-on and I learn better hands-on,” said Simms, who envisions a career in nursing. And “I wanted to see what VCU is about, because it’s a big college.”

The youth summit program dates to 2018 and is an initiative of Diversity In Dentistry Mentorships, an Arizona-based nonprofit that was inspired by alarming statistics – that among U.S. dentists, only about 4% are Black, 5% are Hispanic and not even 1% are Native American or Pacific Islander.

“It is a disparity that shocked me,” said D.I.D. founder Laila Hishaw, D.D.S., who hopes to double minority representation in the field within 20 years. “What I realized is that we’re going to have to start early to reach these kids, to let them know about dentistry.”

At VCU, the School of Dentistry welcomed the chance to host a summit for two key reasons – “because it would have impact on the community, but also because of our professional obligations to ensure that we continue to cultivate a workforce that mirrors the population, yes inclusive of race and ethnicity, but also rural backgrounds, first-generation college students, LGBTQIA+, and more,” said associate professor Carlos S. Smith, D.D.S., who is also associate dean for inclusive excellence, ethics and community engagement.

Carlos S. Smith, D.D.S., associate professor and associate dean in the VCU School of Dentistry, told students at the Diversity In Dentistry Youth Summit that the white coat ceremony marks a social contract for coat recipients to focus on the health of their patients. (Vernon Freeman, School of Dentistry)

Amid upbeat music and welcoming messages, the Richmond students got to work in the learning bays of the dental classroom. Models of the jaw, teeth and gums and modern working tools were at their disposal. For John Marshall 10th-grader Jamyah Drew, the tour of the School of Dentistry’s digital dentistry lab, with its 3D printing facility and a crown and tooth printing demonstration, opened the science-loving student’s eyes to a potential new field of study and work.

An introductory video had offered the participants an overview of dental health, and Hishaw and other speakers emphasized how they have a place in the profession.

“Dentistry is great because it is a marriage of science, engineering and art,” Hishaw told students, along with messages of the prospect of financial stability and human impact. “When a student is saying they’re interested in medicine, you get that in dentistry. What is great is you are working on making someone’s smile healthy and functional again, bringing their confidence up.”

With grants from Delta Dental and Benco Dental, D.I.D. supports one-on-one student mentoring by dental professionals as well as preparation for dental school admission tests. A panel session at the VCU summit featured admissions counselors who fielded questions about education pathways.

In addition to exposing high school students to dental careers, including as hygienists and lab technicians, the summit was an opportunity for current VCU dental students to inspire potential future colleagues. Turner rotated around the room, helping students with the tools of her trade – and sharing elements of her journey.

“I wanted to give that to other people,” she said. “I ended up teaching a lot about dentistry, and it just shows me how much I’ve learned over these four years and how I can communicate about it. … I love to get people out of pain and help them look better and feel better about themselves.”

First-year Isaiah Lewis wanted the summit attendees to be inspired by seeing him as a Black dentistry student.

“I love how dentistry integrates all the things that I’ve been passionate about all my life,” Lewis said. “When I was younger, I was really into the arts. When I got to be a little bit older, I got involved with robotics and thought I wanted to be an engineer. I developed a deep interest in science. In high school, I wanted to be a doctor. Going into college, I explored several professions in health care, and through dentistry, I realized that I can be an artist, an engineer and a doctor – and help my community.”

Tenth-grade student Jamyah Drew demonstrates the “learn-a-prep” training tile during the Diversity In Dentistry Youth Summit at VCU’s School of Dentistry. (Vernon Freeman, School of Dentistry)

The youth summit even included a white coat ceremony – the act of donning the traditional garment of medical professionals. The goal was for the students to see themselves as part of the field.

“Dentistry is the best profession you can ever imagine, and it needs to be diverse and welcoming,” VCU School of Dentistry Dean Lyndon F. Cooper, D.D.S., Ph.D., told the students. “Every single one of you can be a dentist. When I look out in this audience, I get this big smile on my face for several reasons. One of the reasons is I know that you are the future of improved dentistry.”

A version of this story was originally published by VCU News

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