CATEGORY 100 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST BEYOND CLINICAL When people ask me why I continue to fly into regional Australia to practise dentistry, they usually assume the answer lies somewhere between adventure and professional variety. It doesn’t. The answer began more than two decades ago, on another continent. Like every newly qualified dentist in South Africa, I was required to complete compulsory community service before receiving full registration. For many graduates, this meant working in rural communities where access to healthcare was limited and resources were scarce. At the time, it felt like an obligation. Looking back, it was probably the most important year of my education. It taught me something that no textbook ever could. Healthcare is never simply about disease. It is about access. It is about equity. It is about geography. And most importantly, it is about people. Years later, after moving to Australia, I expected the healthcare system to be entirely different. In many ways it is. Australia has world-class clinicians, outstanding universities and remarkable technology. Yet I found myself recognising a familiar pattern. Different country. Different health system. The same challenge. Patients living outside metropolitan centres still face barriers to care that many city patients never experience. Distance, workforce shortages, limited specialist services, long waiting times and travel costs continue to influence health outcomes simply because of where someone lives. That observation has shaped not only my clinical career, but also my academic one. Studying an MBA with a focus on healthcare strategies and operations fundamentally changed the way I thought about regional healthcare. Clinical experience teaches you how to treat individual patients. Healthcare management teaches you how to improve systems that affect thousands of patients. Those are very different perspectives. One changes a life. The other changes a community. We don’t have a dentist shortage. We have an access problem. The conversation around rural dentistry often focuses on attracting more clinicians into regional practice. But I believe we are asking the wrong question. The question shouldn’t simply be: “How do we send more dentists to rural Australia?” It should be: “How do we build systems that ensure every Australian receives the same standard of care regardless of postcode?” Those are very different goals. Flying clinicians into regional com– munities helps today. Building systems helps for decades. The old proverb says: “Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.” Healthcare is no different. We cannot continue solving systemic problems with individual effort alone. Rural practice doesn’t just treat patients. It builds better clinicians. One lesson from my own community service has remained with me throughout my career. Regional practice changes clinicians. When resources are limited, you become resourceful. When specialist support is hours away, you become a better decision-maker. When patients have travelled hundreds of kilometres to see you, communication becomes more important than ever. When you’re part of a small community, trust isn’t optional; it is the foundation of healthcare. Regional practice develops humility. It develops adaptability. It develops resilience. It teaches accountability because your reputation is built one patient at a time. These are not simply clinical skills. They are leadership skills. For that reason, I believe every dental graduate would benefit enormously from spending time working in regional or rural communities early in their career. Not because rural communities need inexperienced graduates. But because future leaders need the perspective that regional practice provides. Beyond the flight: Why the future of regional dentistry depends on better systems, not just more clinicians By Dr Shahana Abed Dr Shahana Abed Ready to See the Platform in Action Whether you're looking to streamline ordering, improve stock control or gain better visibility over your practice spend, we'd love to show you how. Scan to Book a Chat MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS Exclusive member pricing from partner suppliers & service providers. Access to a network of likeminded dental professionals. Ongoing education & support Business & technology solutions A smarter way to manage your practice Berris Saultry 0400 001 172 Save Time. Reduce Costs. Work Smarter. Everything your practice needs to simplify purchasing, control inventory and improve profitability. One Platform. Endless Possibilities. https://dentalinnovations.com.au/enquire-now/
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