Shinta’s Dedication in Shaping Patient’s Smile

“At first, becoming a dentist wasn’t my first choice, but now I interpret it as the best destiny I’ve been given,” said Shinta Shinta Graharani, a 2016 graduate of the Dentistry study program at UMS, opening our warm conversation with her. The conversation captured the highs and lows of Shinta’s journey as she strives to provide patients with the smiles of their dreams.

After graduating from high school, Shinta was often asked, “Where are you going to continue your studies?” At the time, Shinta’s primary goal for her bachelor’s degree was to become a doctor, not a dentist.

“In reality, Allah’s fate was different. I was late in registering for the medical study program because the quota was already full. However, with the support and trust of my family, I eventually changed to a Bachelor of Dentistry. Alhamdulillah, I chose it without hesitation,” said the Karanganyar-born woman.

Gradually, she started recalling fragments of her past as a Dentistry student. Each day was a battle with a myriad of biomaterials like ceramics, casts, alloys, and dental forensics that required her to diagnose patient cases through teeth. The intensive practical work, case studies, research, block exams, and similar tasks made Dentistry’s study period comparable to that of Medicine.

“When I was in college, I served as a teaching assistant. Being a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Dentistry, you have to master not just one subject but several. This sets it apart from other faculties. We had to be proficient in multiple areas. For instance, if the topic scheduled for tomorrow was Diagnosis of Oral Diseases, we needed to study and fully grasp the material beforehand.”

At the beginning of the semester, Shinta was offered a position as an English tutor for the English Tutorial Program by her study program. In this role, she was tasked with enriching the course material and introducing teaching methods or techniques for speaking and writing in line with the curriculum for one semester.

“After four years of study, I completed my undergraduate degree and then enrolled in the Dentistry Professional study program, at UMS, of course. People might be more familiar with the term ‘co-ass’ or co-assistant. During this time, I moved from theoretical learning to directly diagnosing patients to understand their conditions and cases,” Shinta explained.

During her co-assistant time, Shinta had various interesting experiences, including the opportunity to assist Dr. Edi Karyadi, M.M., MDSc, Sp.Perio, who happened to be her favorite lecturer.

“As co-assistant students, we experienced many highs and lows, ranging from independently seeking patients to assisting in treatments under the supervision of the attending doctor, who must approve all actions and treatments. After completing my co-assistant, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity by drg. Edi to further develop my clinical skills at MMC in front of the Faculty of Engineering. Working with him has taught me a lot.”

From Shinta's point of view, drg. Edi is a lecturer who deeply motivates her to pursue her career. She admires him, especially his ethos: “Treat the patient as your family member, not just a source of income. If you treat the patient like that, they trust you and will come back in the future with other family members.”

Through her experience as drg. Edi's co-assistant, Shinta deeply thought that being a dentist was a humanistic and patient-centered practice. "I want to be like him one day - a dentist who is not only clinically skilled, but also has high moral integrity and empathy for every patient," she resolved at the time.

After completing her studies, Shinta began her career as a duty doctor at the Banyumanik 1 Semarang Hospital Dental Clinic in early 2020. However, her tenure there was relatively short, lasting only a year. This was due to the opening of a new hospital, Banyumanik 2 Semarang Hospital. 

“Fortunately, I met a very compassionate and supportive hospital director who offered me growth opportunities. After an assessment, I successfully passed and was appointed by the director as the Head of Medical Support at Banyumanik 2 Hospital in Semarang. In this role, I supervised four departments, including Radiology, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Nutrition, and Medical Records,” she recalled.

Shinta admitted facing many challenges overseeing four departments outside her educational background. However, she was grateful for the support of the department heads, which facilitated the smooth running of all activities.

“I always thought this all was beyond enough for me as I felt comfortable and adapted well, yet again when we feel thankful, Allah gives us more. It all started when I casually registered for the Civil Servant Examination (CPNS) in 2022. To my surprise, I passed and was offered a job as a civil servant dentist at UPTD Puskesmas Kagok, Semarang, until the time of my retirement,” said the woman, who confesses that she enjoys watching movies and dramas.

As a Dentist, Shinta provides a wide range of dental services, including tooth extractions for adults and children, scaling, fillings, dentures, handling dental emergencies, and other general dental services. She also expressed that her daily work gives her immense satisfaction.

Shinta expressed that she feels happy and relieved every time she’s on duty. She feels relieved to be able to treat and help solve different patient cases and happy when she can restore the patient’s beautiful and charming smile.

Shinta is furthering her dentistry knowledge by studying for a Master’s in Health Law at Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang City.

“Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch because my master’s degree is related to law. But it’s not without reason that I chose health law. It all started with my concern about the lack of legal protection for dentists in the Indonesian Dental Association (PDGI),” said Shinta, who began her postgraduate study last year.

In addition to her busy practice schedule, Shinta is broadening her understanding of various legal aspects relevant to dental practice, including the rights and responsibilities of dentists, medical liability, and regulations related to dental practice in Indonesia. With this knowledge, Shinta aims to help raise awareness of the importance of legal protection for dentists and advocate for policy changes to better support the dental profession.

“I simply anticipate the worst-case scenarios for myself and my colleagues, hoping they never materialize. For me, studying is never a waste. It is an investment in achieving blessings that extend far beyond myself. My principle is not only to heal but also to benefit others.

Writer: Genis Dwi Gustati

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid