Dr. Dianne Smallidge

1. What’s the best career advice you ever received?

Be true to yourself, know your strengths and weaknesses and don’t be afraid to reach out for help from a mentor or colleague if they have strengths where you have weaknesses. None of us are good at everything!

2. What’s the one piece of advice you would give to anyone in dental hygiene school?

It’s going to be harder than you may expect, so be prepared to use all the resources available to you to find success.

3. What’s the biggest challenge facing dental education today?

The biggest challenges are the cost of dental education and students feeling compelled to focus primarily on a salary after graduation. It is challenging to convince students that the true reward comes when we choose work that allows us to have a meaningful impact on people and their overall health.

4. What’s the ultimate comfort meal for you?

Roast beef, mashed potatoes/gravy, popovers and green beans.

5. If you couldn’t be in dental education, what field would you have chosen for a career?

I would love to have been a Broadway star, but since I never had the talent to succeed in that field, dental hygiene education has proven to be a great fit for me.