Atlanta, GA, Aug. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Benevis, a leading dental healthcare and orthodontics delivery organization committed to providing quality care to underserved communities, is proud to have welcomed 37 new dental school graduates to its practices in 2024. The recently hired dentists provide general dentistry services, orthodontics, or oral and maxillofacial surgery services in 10 of 14 Benevis-supported states and territories.
“The next generation of Benevis dentists are critical to our ongoing success connecting uninsured and underinsured youth and their families to the dental care resources that are so important to their longitudinal health,” said Bryan Carey, CEO of Benevis. “As an organization, we are proud to welcome our newest doctors who have received dental degrees from some of the most esteemed universities in the country, including the University of North Carolina, Harvard, Columbia, and New York University. But more importantly, with diversity core to our mission, we are even prouder that our new dentists join us from multiple cultures and backgrounds, and some with multi-lingual abilities to further benefit our patients’ understanding and care. We look forward to working closely with them to advance community access to high-quality oral care services and create happy, healthy forever smiles for those in need.”
Research from the American Dental Association’s (ADA) Health Policy Institute (HPI) reports that dentists who treat larger numbers of Medicaid patients are more likely to represent a racial minority, which is true of Benevis dentists. Over 51% of Benevis dentists represent an ethnic or racial minority, and more than half of the new dentists joining the organization in 2024 also represent an ethnic or racial minority. “We believe that having greater diversity in dentistry can improve oral healthcare delivery in underserved communities and result in better patient outcomes,” Carey continued.
Benevis delivers dental practice management services to 100+ supported offices across the country, with the aim of improving access to dental care for underserved communities. Around 350 dentists in 13 states and Washington, D.C., provide families with a dental home, including orthodontic and specialty care. Benevis is a doctor-led organization, giving their dentists clinical autonomy to run their practices, while providing them with the tools and support necessary to deliver high-quality, compassionate dental care to the underserved.
“The Benevis structure allows doctors and team members to grow both professionally and personally while united around our mission to increase access to essential dental care,” said Dr. Dale Mayfield, DMD, chief dental officer of Benevis. “We tend to attract like-minded dentists committed to providing care to underserved patients as our offices are among the few dental providers that see a majority of patients covered by Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans. When joining the organization, our new dentists are often attracted by the commitment to serve those in greatest need.”
Below is information on the 37 new graduates that have joined Benevis over the past year and the states they are serving.
CONNECTICUT
Hyoeun Ahn, DDS, graduated from Boston University in 2024.
Ashley Bermudez, DDS, graduated from the University of Southern California in 2024.
Aakriti Chaudhry, DDS, graduated from The Ohio State University in 2024.
Christian Jimenez, OS, graduated from New York Medical College, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency in 2024.
GEORGIA
Jeny Dominguez, DDS, graduated from the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University in 2024.
Raymond Mclagan, DDS, graduated from the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University in 2024.
INDIANA
Tasami Abdelsalam, DDS, Orthodontist, graduated from the Georgia School of Orthodontics in 2024.
KANSAS
Thawab Barbour, DDS, graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2024.
Mehtab Warya, DDS, Orthodontist, graduated from Roseman University in 2024.
KENTUCKY
Ariel Hernandez, DDS, graduated from the University of Louisville in 2024.
Rebecca Tsuei, DDS, Orthodontist, graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2024.
LOUISIANA
Hikmat Aboudan, DDS, Orthodontist, graduated from the Georgia School of Orthodontics in 2024.
Krista Carramusa, DDS, graduated from Temple University in 2023.
Chiyere Enih, DDS, graduated from Texas A&M University in 2024.
Joseph Vigoda, DDS, graduated from Columbia University in 2024.
MARYLAND
Kennedy Chioma, DDS, graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2024
Abel Kebede, DDS, graduated from the University of Maryland in 2024.
Irene Lang, DDS, Orthodontist, graduated from Harvard University in 2024.
Heer Ramaswamy, DDS, graduated Temple University in 2024.
Jorge Reyes, DDS, graduated from Tufts University in 2024.
Sonam Saxena, DDS, graduated Temple University in 2024.
Zainab Sharif, DDS, Orthodontist, graduated from the Georgia School of Orthodontics in 2024.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Caroline Carmichael, DDS, graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2024.
TEXAS
Riam Abdulwahab, DDS, graduated from A.T. Still University in 2024.
Renu Aggarwal, DDS, graduated from Loma Linda University in 2024.
Adriana Buendia, DDS, Orthodontist, graduated from the University of Alabama in 2024.
Kade Grover, DDS, graduated from Oregon Health & Science University in 2024.
Jonathan Leung, DDS, graduated from A.T. Still University in 2024.
Amy McLenithan, DDS, graduated from New York University in 2024.
Matthew McLenithan, DDS, graduated from New York University in 2024.
VIRGINIA
Oluwatoyin Abedule, DDS, graduated from Boston University in 2024.
Daniel Betz, DDS, graduated from the University of Louisville in 2024.
Brennan Feldman, DDS, Orthodontist, graduated from Rutgers University in 2024.
Amr Sankari, DDS, graduated from Boston University in 2024.
Nicolas Velez, DDS, graduated from Howard University in 2024.
Hema Kumar Vuppalapaty, DDS, graduated from the University of Buffalo in 2024.
Talat Zoer, DDS, graduated from Boston University in 2024.
About Benevis
Benevis is a leading dental healthcare delivery organization for practices focused on delivering life-changing oral care and orthodontics to underserved communities. Through comprehensive care and operational services that expand access to dentistry, Benevis has a 20-year history of providing the highest quality care to approximately 5 million children and adults. Its network reaches more than 100 locally branded dental offices across the U.S. that deliver treatment through 1.4 million visits each year. Benevis also advocates for programs and legislation that ensure all families have access to the oral healthcare they need and deserve. For more information, visit Benevis.com.
