Contribution of women dentists to general practice

The number of women general dental practitioners has increased in the last few years as the number of women graduating from UK dental schools has also increased. The increase in women practitioners from 1975 to 1985 is of the order of 10 per cent, although only 23 per cent of the total owned their own practices either alone or in partnership. The paper describes the author's own experiences in setting up a thriving practice and the problems she encountered as a woman. Also described are the author's observations in striving for greater goals for general dental practitioners in terms of continuing education and vocational training.