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Dentsply Sirona celebrates successful completion of its Speaker Development Program for dentists of color in partnership with the NDA

Corporate

NDA attendes of the Speaker Development Program and Janice Hurley, renowned dental practice management consultant and coach.

Dentsply Sirona has long worked to foster diversity in dentistry and encourage equal opportunities. As part of its sustainability strategy “BEYOND: Taking Action for a Brighter World”, Dentsply Sirona has implemented an impactful program and forged strong partnerships to advocate for a diverse and equitable industry and to give stronger voices to underrepresented communities.

Charlotte, N.C., December, 2024. Dentsply Sirona, the world’s largest manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, is proud to announce the successful completion of its Speaker Development Program by a distinguished class of eight dentists of color from the National Dental Association (NDA). This milestone is part of Dentsply Sirona’s on-going partnership with the NDA and underscores the company’s commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) within the dental industry.

Dentsply Sirona and NDA launched speaker training initiative to empower dentists of color

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, Dentsply Sirona 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.

“We are delighted to celebrate the achievements of these talented dentists,” says Julie Mroziak, VP, Restorative Solutions and Executive Sponsor of the Global DE&I Council at Dentsply Sirona. “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.

At this year’s annual NDA conference, Dentsply Sirona contributed to the educational side of the event by sponsoring two instructional courses for the conference’s attendees which expounded on the relevance of digital dentistry as well as on aligner solutions. Dentsply Sirona also presented cutting-edge dental technologies and solutions at two 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,” says 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, with 54% of the company’s global hires in 2023 being diverse^{^[1]} 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.

[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).