DDSRank Announces 2018 Dental Scholarship Winner

dental scholarship winner

Daniel Citron, winner of the 2018 DDSRank Dental Scholarship

Top dental SEO company DDSRank is pleased to announce Daniel Citron as the winner of The 2018 DDSRank Dental Scholarship. The scholarship program, which was started to help students dedicated to a career in dentistry afford an education, is being awarded for the fourth time.

For the second year in a row, a student from UCLA School of Dentistry submitted the top entry. Citron is in his fourth year in the program and slated to graduate in 2019.

Daniel Citron earned his bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a major in International Security and Conflict Resolution and a concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology.

Citron is passionate about health and wellness. During his time as an undergraduate student, he designed and implemented a wellness program to educate students on health topics such as stress reduction, exercise, nutrition, and sleep. This program became so successful that it was incorporated as a permanent component of the Pre-Health Office at SDSU. Citron says, “I found this role most rewarding as I witnessed many students realize actual health benefits as they progressed through the course of the program.”

Daniel has continued to be involved in helping others achieve wellness, including in oral health care. He has both served and been in leadership in organizations focused on supporting veterans. Whether providing oral health and hygiene information to homeless veterans, or recruiting fellow dental students to join in service to veterans in need, Citron’s focus is on others. He is the co-founder and president of the UCLA Tri-Service Military Dentistry Organization, and a co-director of UCLA School of Dentistry Operation Bruin Smile, which raises money and provides support for former veterans and foster youth at UCLA.

Daniel Citron is exactly the kind of well-rounded candidate we search for in our scholarship program,” said Steve Brown, DDSRank’s CEO. “We had a strong field of applicants this year, but Daniel’s essay and work in pursuing a career in dentistry stood out among the best of them.

The 2018 DDSRank Scholarship entrants responded to the question, How do you think use of the internet will reshape – or is already reshaping – the field of dentistry? In his essay, Citron points out both positive and negative aspects. Communication between dentists and patients, as well as between dental professionals, tops the plus side. Regarding professional growth, he describes a social media group where “dentists, residents, and dental students…can discuss and share their cases and ask questions to the group. Its focus is on high-quality dentistry and…[improving] clinical skills and the patient experience…Each day of the week a specialist presents a mini lecture in a post and gives advice whether it be in pediatrics, periodontics, pathology, oral surgery, endodontics, implants, orthodontics, or anesthesia.”

But Citron also warns of downsides to the internet for the field of dentistry: “Fighting biased, untruthful, and even possibly deceitful reviews from dissatisfied patients is a significant challenge. While many negative reviews of practices are truthful and beneficial for others to see, negative reviews of dentists have the potential to greatly hurt dentists and their practices. Additionally, there is an abundant amount of misinformation online regarding fluoride and amalgam fillings, and it is never easy to be confronted by patients who mistakenly think that dentists are inflicting harm.”

Citron explains his reason for choosing the field of dentistry: “I chose dentistry to serve people in a caregiving, trust-building capacity, while delivering excellent clinical care that will enhance their health and well-being. Dentistry thus far has allowed me to integrate many of my goals and aspirations including: healing patients and supporting their oral health, cultivating meaningful connections, producing aesthetic results with my hands, acquiring scientific knowledge, and engaging in life-long learning. Dentistry embodies all these physical, scientific and social traits that I value into a successful professional role.”

DDSRank is honored to support the education of outstanding, dedicated dental students like Daniel Citron. Congratulations!

DDSRank’s purpose is to help dental professionals succeed in building their practices using SEO and dental marketing. The establishment of the dental scholarship program was a natural extension of that mission – by helping an aspiring dentist afford the education needed to build their own practice. For more information on the award, visit the scholarship page.