An international dentist from Africa and raised in the UK, it would be a profound honor for me if I were selected to contribute to the diversity of your highly competitive master's degree program in Periodontology at XXXX. I was born and spent the first three years in Khartoum, Sudan. My family took me to England at the age of three, and it has been my permanent home since then, living first in London (1993-2001) and then in Norwich since 2001. From 2008 through 2013, I studied dentistry at one of the finest dental schools in Hungary, earning my DMD Degree and an MSC in Implantology, focusing my thesis on the pharmacological aspects of dental implantation. I have also traveled around most of Europe and gotten to know Cyprus exceptionally well. A Coptic Orthodox Christian, I speak Coptic as well as Arabic.
Well-read and well-traveled, I have valuable things to contribute to discussions of global dentistry in your program and the great need for access to oral health care in the Developing World, especially in my native Africa. My central professional goal is to become the most accomplished expert that I can be in Periodontology, gene therapy, and especially the use of lasers for periodontal treatment. To this end, I have continued to study intensively since I completed dental school by taking additional postgraduate courses in Oral Surgery and implant training. I am now enrolled in post-graduate training toward earning a Certificate in Clinical Periodontology. I have also had additional training in Endodontology and Aesthetic Dentistry.
In my fourth year of dental school, I was most fortunate to have two very brilliant Periodontology teachers - shadowing and assisting both with multiple Perio cases - inspiring my desire to devote the balance of my professional life to Periodontology. Upon completing your program at XXXX, I look forward to decades of service as a Perio consultant in hospitals and private clinics. We have an expression in Arabic loosely translated as “there is no sweetness without fire,” which is my guiding light. I have great passion and zeal for dentistry, especially Periodontology, and I take enormous pride in my work. My very identity is based on upholding the highest standards in my practice and a lifelong dedication to improving my capacity as an oral health care professional. In every dental locum position I have served, I have given my absolute best effort to every patient, with no exceptions. I could not imagine doing otherwise.
I feel incredibly privileged to have served in several dental positions, learning a great deal in each location. I feel accomplished to have become highly competent in various dental procedures. The extensive experience that I have acquired will help me excel in Periodontology at XXXX. As my career progresses along with my financial capacity, I look forward to increasingly dedicating my time to dental missionary activity, serving in refugee camps where Arabic-speaking dentists are in great demand. There are numerous refugee camps across South Sudan, where I was born, and Northern Egypt, where my language skills in Coptic would be helpful in addition to my Arabic.
I also look forward to advancing my knowledge base and skill set in preventive dentistry and giving dietary advice, especially with limited access to nutritional sources. Finally, I hope to teach new generations of dental students, passing on the torch, especially concerning inspiring new generations by setting an example of service in Africa and expanding the horizons of global dentistry through solidarity and service.
Thank you for considering my application.
African Dentist Personal Statement Periodontology