Dental Nursing: Personal Statement for Dental School Application

This personal statement discusses the author's interest in dental nursing. It begins with a description of the author's background, including their education and a personal experience with childhood bullying. The author then explains their motivation for pursuing a career in dentistry, highlighting the importance of oral health and the impact of dental issues on overall well-being. The statement references the impact of gum cancer and the need for early dental care, especially for children. The author aims to improve the dental health of patients, emphasizing the importance of dental care and the role of dentists in the healthcare system. The statement concludes with a focus on their career aspirations and their desire to contribute to the field of dentistry. The author also references relevant literature to support their points.

Running head: DENTAL NURSING 1
Dental Nursing
Name
Institution

DENTAL NURSING 2
Personal Statement
My name is Martena Mettry, a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from CCNY. I
also have a minor in psychology that I attained during the summer of 2019. At the moment, I
have plans to pursue a career in dentistry. When growing up having come from Egypt and settled
in the USA with my parents, I was bullied a lot during my 4th grade. This was because I had an
underbite that forced me to wear braces for two and a half years. My early years in the United
States of America were very difficult because getting bullied at such a young age can mess with
an individual’s confidence. Studies reveal that childhood bullying can cause serious long-lasting
psychological impacts on the life of a child (Kirves & Sajaniemi, 2012). These are some of the
challenges that motivated me to pursue a career in dentistry to help young children in
maintaining their teeth and to educate parents on how to take care of their children.
Several babies are born with clefts especially in low-income countries and communities. These
clefts affect the dental appearance of these children but, unfortunately, this fact has always been
overlooked. Dental care is very important in the mouth hygiene and general health of an
individual (Darmawikarta et al, 2014). I feel that the importance of dentistry is sometimes
underrated. One of my friends lost her mom after she developed gum cancer due to the wrong
implantation. Since then, I have always believed that dentistry is a very important profession
because it is the body’s initial point of defense against pathogens. The appearance of teeth also
influences how one feels about themselves thus impacting their mental health which is very
critical in general health. I, therefore, want to pursue a career in dentistry to improve the dental
health of many patients, especially young children.

DENTAL NURSING 3
Reference
Darmawikarta, D., Chen, Y., Carsley, S., Birken, C. S., Parkin, P. C., Schroth, R. J., & Maguire,
J. L. (2014). Factors associated with dental care utilization in early
childhood. Pediatrics, 133(6), e1594-e1600.
Kirves, L., & Sajaniemi, N. (2012). Bullying in early educational settings. Early Child
Development and Care, 182(3-4), 383-400.