Women in Dentistry - Blog

Dr. Jullie Du Bois was destined for a career in health care. Growing up in the Caribbean Island of Grenada, instead of playing with dolls, she lined up her siblings and played doctor by pretending to give injections. She was born to a humble family where dental care was a luxury and daily oral hygiene wasn’t taught. Her parents didn’t have any teeth and wore complete dentures. By the age of 12, Jullie had some permanent teeth extracted and was devastated. She never had a toothache, yet her teeth were removed. Back then, cavities were treated by removing the tooth. It was at that time that she decided to become a dentist to be part of saving teeth through prevention.

Jullie became a dentist in 1985 after graduating from the University of Havana, and she started her own practice in Grenada in 1986. She is the president of the Grenada Dental Association, which she founded, and is the Acting Senior Dental Surgeon with the Ministry of Health in Grenada. Her experience as a child playing doctor with her siblings comes in handy as she is known for her gentle touch with needles. Her office is even named Gentle Dental Care.

Jullie wants to revolutionize oral health in Grenada. She is determined that every teacher, caregiver, parent and child understand the importance of good oral health practices and that they pass along these good habits and knowledge to revolutionize oral health care in Grenada. Her motivation comes from not wanting any child to lose a permanent tooth like she did or for anyone to wear dentures like her parents.

Jullie has given oral health presentations to numerous groups and has provided free dental care in order to achieve her mission of good oral health. In fact, her favourite part of being a dentist is giving oral health education and hearing that the good habits she teaches are being adopted. She says, “The average Grenadian can’t afford private dental care and the Government clinics offer very limited dental service. Prevention is the answer to avoid expensive dental procedures.”

Jullie’s goal is that every person in Grenada has oral health education and that every child’s permanent molars are sealed. To accomplish this goal, Jullie initiated Seal Grenada. This is her dream organization and her wish is for it to continue long after she has departed. Seal Grenada is a project that was proposed by the Grenada Dental Association (GDA) for their annual Dental Health Week activity to improve the oral health of Grenadians by placing dental sealants to prevent decay. Seal Grenada is a coalition of organizations with the goal of sealing all children’s permanent teeth in Grenada. They ran their first week of Seal Grenada in August 2023 with volunteers from Grenada, Canada and the U.S. It was an overwhelming success. In just 5 days, the international volunteers provided 2889 sealants, well past their goal of 1000 sealants.

After Seal Grenada, Jullie said, “I was delighted to see the smile on the parents’ faces after their child or children received dental sealants. I was amazed that a parent came from Carriacou, our neighboring island which belongs to Grenada, by ferry, so that her two children’s teeth could be sealed. Unfortunately, one of the children had to have an extraction and fillings. Their gratitude brought me to tears. When I walk the streets of Grenada and a child or parent comes up to you and says, ‘Thank you for Seal Grenada because my child or children benefitted,’ this just warms my heart.”

What’s next? Jullie says, “We can’t save the world, but we can do our utmost to make a difference by creating awareness and improving oral health habits to decrease dental disease in our beautiful country.”

Jullie would like the school curriculum to include oral health education. She would also like to reach her goal of sealing all permanent teeth of children in Grenada. To do this, she needs portable dental equipment, donations and volunteers. She needs YOU! You can join the Great Shape Inc.! 1000 Smiles project and volunteer in August 2024.

Interested in volunteering or donating, contact me at sanjuktamohanta@hotmail.com

Let’s help Jullie’s goal of placing dental sealants on every child and improving oral health in Grenada.