Dentsply Sirona Completes Speaker Development Program for Dentists of Color in Partnership with the NDA

Dentsply Sirona Completes Speaker Development Program for Dentists of Color in Partnership with the NDA | Image Credit: © Dentsply Sirona

Dental manufacturer Dentsply Sirona has announced the completion of its Speaker Development Program by a distinguished class of 8 dentists of color from the National Dental Association (NDA). This milestone is part of the company’s on-going partnership with the NDA and underscores its commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) within the dental industry.

Dentsply Sirona first launched a speaker development program for female dentists called “First to 50” in 2020, with more than 90 graduates having completed the course since inception. This year the company added to this a cohort in collaboration with NDA, exclusively open to dentists of color in the United States. The dental professionals were given access to a structured speaker development program for all levels of experience, with the aim to help elevate their voices and enable them to be share their knowledge with their communities and colleagues, Dentsply Sirona states.

“We are delighted to celebrate the achievements of these talented dentists,” Julie Mroziak, VP, Restorative Solutions and Executive Sponsor of the Global DE&I Council at Dentsply Sirona, says in a press release. “The program has helped them hone their skills and equipped them with the necessary confidence. We are now very much looking forward to seeing them prosper and become influential speakers and leaders in their field.”

Continued, Strong Partnership with NDA
The collaboration on the speaker development program is part of the ongoing and impactful partnership between Dentsply Sirona and the NDA and aligns with the company’s sustainability strategy “BEYOND: Taking Action for a Brighter World”.

The partnership, which has entered its third year, is led on Dentsply Sirona’s side by its employee resource group (ERG)BOLD@DS (Black Organization for Leadership & Development@DS), which aims to transform the experiences of black employees and allies.

Related reading: After Successful DS World 24, Dentsply Sirona Making Plans for Next Year’s Return to Las Vegas

At this year’s annual NDA conference, Dentsply Sirona contributed to the educational side of the event by sponsoring 2 instructional courses for the conference’s attendees which expounded on the relevance of digital dentistry as well as on aligner solutions.The global dental manufacturer also presented cutting-edge dental technologies and solutions at 2 booths.

With a network of more than 10,000 minority dentists, the NDA works to improve the delivery of oral healthcare in underserved communities as well as improve the educational opportunities of minorities underrepresented in the oral health field.

“As our partnership with Dentsply Sirona celebrates its third year, we remain as committed as ever to advance diversity and inclusion within the dental industry and to provide ongoing support and resources to minority dentists,” adds Nicole Cheek, president of the NDA. “We are grateful to have such a dedicated partner as Dentsply Sirona who works alongside us towards our shared goal of creating a more inclusive and equitable dental profession.”

Dentsply Sirona was named one of the “Greatest Workplaces for Diversity” by Newsweek in 2024. In its recently published sustainability report, the company announced that it made progress towards its DE&I priorities, with54% of the company’s global hires in 2023 being diverse¹ and more than 10,000 employees registering for DE&I training and awareness programs.

For more information on Dentsply Sirona’s sustainability strategy BEYOND, visit https://www.dentsplysirona.com/en/company/our-sustainability.html.

References

1. Dentsply Sirona defines 'diverse'as all global employees who self-identify as female, or in the U.S., as people of color which includes all non-white race categories (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Other).