At a recent Chapmanic workshop, four accomplished clinicians shared the floor with the world's leading laser-dentistry authority — and reflected a profession that looks very different from a generation ago.

When Dr Bob Convissar — author of Principles and Practice of Laser Dentistry — headlined our latest laser workshop, four of the clinicians putting the theory into practice were Dr Fatima Hosseini, Dr Carolina Fernandez, Dr Beata Laceynska and Dr Sana Algharaibeh. All four were working with the SWOT ML15 CO₂ laser — and all four are part of a much bigger story.

Dentistry has quietly become a profession led by women. The General Dental Council’s latest figures show that women now make up 54% of registered dentists in the UK — and 78% of the dental workforce overall once dental therapists, hygienists and nurses are counted, more than nine in ten of whom are women. Among dental students the balance tipped years ago: well over half of those training today are women. Researchers have called it a “silent transition” — the UK passed the female-majority mark for dentists around 2019, a little ahead of forecasts — and the shift is mirrored worldwide. In Pakistan, for instance, roughly two-thirds of dental practitioners are now women.

Does it change the chair-side experience? The honest answer from the research is: often, yes — though rarely in the way old stereotypes suggest. Most patients express no gender preference at all. But where a preference does exist, female patients in particular tend to seek out a female dentist, and studies consistently associate women clinicians with careful communication, a preventive and conservative treatment style, and high patient satisfaction. In other words, a more diverse profession simply gives patients more choice — and that is good for everyone.

It is reshaping the tools clinicians choose, too. As it happens, several of the women Chapmanic works with have gravitated towards the ML15 CO₂ system — prized for its precision in soft-tissue surgery at 10,600 nm and up to 15 W — although plenty of colleagues, of every background, still reach for the Dawn Light 810 nm diode. The best laser, as ever, is the one that suits the clinician and the case.

Supporting that choice is exactly what Chapmanic is here for. As the UK & Ireland distributor for SWOT dental lasers, Chapmanic travel extensively to install systems, train clinical teams and carry out equipment inspections for clients across the globe — so whichever wavelength you favour, the back-up is the same.

To Dr Hussaini, Dr Fernandez, Dr Laceynska and Dr Algharaibeh — and to every clinician advancing laser dentistry — thank you for letting us share your work.

More reviews, case studies and event write-ups are on the way. Keep an eye on this page for the next Chapmanic workshop dates — we’d love to see you there.

SOURCES:
General Dental Council Registration Statistical Report 2025 (54% of dentists female; 78% of the register female; DCPs 92%+ female). Female-majority "silent transition" ~2019: Gallagher & Scambler, BDJ/SAGE, 2021.