We Celebrate the Superheroes Behind the Smiles in March!

By Leilani Haywood, Marketing & Development Manager at Health Partnership Clinic

National Dentist Day, March 6

•  As of 2023 there are approximately 202,300 dentists who are professionally active in the United States. There are approximately 2,090 active dentists in Kansas, of which approximately 286 are specialists.
• The education and training of dentists typically includes four years of college, four years of dental school and two to three years of residency training if a specialty is chosen.
• There are two different, but equivalent degrees dentists may earn: Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).
• In the United States, 12 specialties are recognized by the American Dental Association.

1. Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
2. Pedodontics
3. Periodontics
4. Prosthodontics
5. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
6. Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
7. Endodontics
8. Public Health Dentistry
9. Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
10. Dental Anesthesiology
11. Oral Medicine
12. Orofacial Pain

Special thanks to our dentists, Nader Rastgoftar, DDS, and Alexis Rickel, DDS, for providing top notch patient care!

National Dental Assistant Week, March 2-8

“Dental Assistants –Superheroes Behind the Smiles” is the theme for 2025 and acknowledges the importance of dentistry’s role in health care and the contributions of dental assistants.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2023, there are more than 376,500 dental assistants in the United States. In Kansas, there are approximately 3,190 dental assistants.

Dental assistants wear many hats in a dental clinic! They greet patients, review medical histories, take X-rays, perform dental charting during the dentist exam, assist the dentist chairside during procedures, polish teeth, review post-operative instructions and schedule patients.

In Kansas, dental assistants are not required to be certified. However, the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) is the nationally recognized certification organization for dental assistants. Certification is a source of pride for dental assistants and provides professional advantage and potentially greater earning power.

Thank you to our HPC dental assistants Stephanie Rojas, Enid Sierra and Rachell Perez! We also want to thank other dental staff, Christina Cook, Dental Operations Manager and Dental Hygienist; and Rowena ‘Row’ Arensman, RDH, Registered Dental Hygienist.