Vidhi Bhanushali
Dentist, co-founder of DentalDost, Pune, Maharastra, India
Title: WOMEN ENTRPRENUERSHIP IN DENTAL-TECH
Biography
Biography: Vidhi Bhanushali
Abstract
Just like other male-dominated fields, dentistry is unfortunately also sailing in the same boat! You’ll be shocked to know that while the male: female ratio in dental colleges in India is 30:70, it sadly is almost reversed when it comes to dental practitioners in the country. Naturally, the remaining 50% somehow balancing their personal and professional lives and only 5% of the total female dentists in India today occupy a leadership position. These numbers are also sadly reflected in the country’s dental council and Indian Dental Association. Since its inception, (1946) the IDA Head-Office has had only one woman as president, till date, and no female secretary-general! Same is the case with DCI. As the co-founder of DentalDost, I feel extremely proud and happy that we are a women-led dentaltech start up giving multiple opportunities and roles to female dentists in India. Right from giving dentists opportunities to work-from-home, to contributing to how dentistry is now delivered, especially in the middle of a pandemic, there’s so much room for every dental surgeon to add value, create impact, and make a difference! At DentalDost, my majority-female team is delivering a dental diagnosis, treatment plans, and post-treatment follow-ups using smart technologies in two unique ways: First is the 24x7 free dental helpline, completely dedicated to helping patients facing pain or other emergencies, give second/third opinions and give a transparent pricing list. With this helpline, we give patients direct access to qualified DentalDost dental surgeons 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for free, and that too within seconds! Second is our smart AI-ML-powered DentalDost app that uses our ML-algorithm to deliver dental diagnosis and remedies within seconds to patients and helps them imbibe good habits and daily hygiene to achieve the best oral and eventually overall hygiene. All of this is only possible because my all-women dentist team, who without any hesitance or reluctance work 24*7 and deliver their 100%.