Asmeen Hossenboccus and Moniba Khan explain the story behind their book, Sam’s Dental Adventure, and how they hope it will be a key tool for parents, guardians and teachers.
Please tell us about you and your journey into dentistry
Asmeen: I’ve always been a high achiever and extremely ambitious. At school I was head girl for five years, set up a charity and got straight As in my GCSEs.
I was also an army cadet for three years and climbed the ranks to sergeant. After school I did a biomedical science BSc (hons) degree at Kings College London and it was the oral biology module that first sparked my interest in dentistry.
Afterwards, I then spent the next two years working, paying off my student loan, completed an NVQ level 3 in dental nursing and applied to all three London schools for dental hygiene and therapy.
I was offered places at all three dental schools and decided to go for Eastman Dental Institute (UCL) due to its reputation as the world-leading dental institute.
I qualified in 2013 with a diploma in dental hygiene and a diploma in dental therapy from the Royal College of Surgeons and have since been working as a dental hygienist and therapist in two private practices in London.
I’ve additionally trained in radiography, teeth whitening, air polishing and facial aesthetics, and love the fast pace of dentistry.
Outside of dentistry I love reading, writing and I’m currently doing a master’s in business administration (MBA). I love what I do and making people smile is my passion!
Please tell us about you and your journey into dentistry?
Moniba: I came from a working class background and I saw the challenges faced by my own parents in day to day life and I suppose, seeing that, I really wanted to be someone that could overcome those challenges in my own life.
I was very artistic and loved science. I worked hard from a young age and found the more I worked, the more I saw the fruits of my labour.
I then threw myself right into my studies as a young kid. When I reflect on my own kid-self I had so much drive, motivation and passion to succeed and it was a long and hard journey towards dentistry.
In high school, through hard work and dedication, I was one of the top achievers. I became head girl and received the government award for the best GCSE grades in my high school.
When I journeyed into college I had to now decide what it is i wanted to do with my life – I had no idea. All I knew was that I loved art, I loved science, and I loved helping people.
Then, I stumbled across dentistry and found it was what would be ideal for me.
After applying for a few dental universities, I was lucky enough to get an interview and then later a place at one of the best dental school’s in the world – King’s College London.
I honestly love the profession and I love what I can offer to patients not just in the UK but also out of the UK ie charity work. I feel blessed to be part of such a wonderful and growing profession and the journey in dentistry never stops as science and education/technology is always changing.
Sam’s Dental Adventure – what’s the story behind this?
We’re catching up on the phone and wanted to do an exciting rewarding project. We both have kids and thought a kids book would be great.
We spent many evenings after work doing this and I’m so happy with the outcome and how well it’s been received.
I first typed up the script, then came across a great publishing company and illustrator, then soon enough we were underway.
What do you hope to achieve with the book?
Our book will be a great tool to help parents, guardians and teachers to educate children about visiting the dentist and dental hygienist.
It will prepare children for what they’ll encounter on their first dental adventure…including the fun chair, bright lights and shiny tools!
Our aim is to rid any feelings of anxiety around visiting the dentist/hygienist by making children acquainted with the experience from an early age.
We both deeply care about prevention and teaching children to improve their oral health. It is available in paperback and hardback!
Ten per cent of the profits go to charity – why is this important to you?
Charity has always been dear to us from a young age. We wanted this to be part of our legacy and giving back to society.
We want the book to be accessible to and benefit every child. Therefore, we are working hard to get it out there on a national and international level.
Any plans for the future?
We want to get the book out there to benefit the world. We’ve been engaging in talks to provide our wonderful book to hospitals, schools, nurseries and dental practices. Initially we want attend schools around the UK and promote OHI to children.
We were very pleased to hear that the government and Ofsted are making oral health compulsory for the EYFS curriculum for early years learning so we are in talks to see how our book can be used as an educational resource for nurseries/schools.
For our future plans, we would also love to visit refugee camps to promote OHI as well as provide more emergency dental care and use our book as a resource for the children.
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