One of Ghana’s most renowned and compassionate dentists at the BestSmile Dental Clinic, Dr. Irene Cato has been crowned Ghana’s Most Outstanding Female in Dentistry at the just-ended 10th Feminine Ghana Achievement Awards 2024 held at the luxurious Marriot Hotel situated in Airport City in Ghana’s capital, on 5th July.
The tremendous accolade signifies her stunning leadership qualities and exceptional dedication to providing quality dental care services and being a highly respected personality advocating for best business practices in the sector.
The Feminine Ghana Achievement Awards organised by The Business Executive Magazine Limited seeks to publicly recognize women in Ghana who have achieved outstanding accomplishments in various forms of endeavour across both the public and private sectors, such as entrepreneurs, professionals, corporate executives, public institutional managers, diplomats, sportswomen, traditional rulers, and others.
The honour automatically usher her as a “SHE ACHIEVER” which is the topmost connective female network platform in Ghana. The initiative is an executive association which embodies top female CEOs and past Feminine Ghana Achievement Awards winners and creates a platform on which members can more easily reach out for assistance in a required field without incurring costs. It also stands for Women’s Empowerment and gets the voices of women heard on important social matters.
Speaking to the media after receiving the all-important award, Dr Irene Cato expressed her profound gratitude to God Almighty for his protection and guidance in the line of duty.
According to her, this reflects her commitment to delivering the highest standards of quality customer satisfaction and also setting a benchmark for others to follow.
Located in East Legon, BestSmile Dental Clinic is positioning itself as a leader in the industry with credibility and reputation in the market.
*PROFILE ABOUT DR. IRENE CATO
Dr. Cato holds a B.Sc. Biological Sciences from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, B.Sc. Medical Sciences from the University of Ghana Medical School and Bachelor of Dental Surgery from The University of Ghana Dental School.
Upon completion of her dental course, she had the rare opportunity of being mentored by a seasoned dentist, Dr. Irene Sorbgodjor, who took time not only to help her hone her skills but also taught her the most important part of the job; dealing with patients compassionately and respectfully.
This gave her the confidence to branch out to establish BestSmile Dental as a patient-centred clinic that aims to provide collaborative care in a relaxing and compassionate environment. The intention was to create a spa-like experience for clients in the dental chair.
She has worked in the capacity of a dental surgeon at the University of Ghana Dental School, Tema General Hospital, Ada District Hospital, and Madina Policlinic Kekele for about ten years. She said her stay in Ada District Hospital can be described as her most cherished experience in her career because of the impactful collaboration her team had with the NGO; Compassion Ghana in improving the oral health of the children in the district and surrounding villages.
The children had regular preventive dental treatment such as prophy and fluoride, fissure sealants, etc, at no cost to them.
“Dental care was virtually-delivered at the doorstep of inhabitants, and it was exhilarating to see how their oral health improved immensely over the months.” She said.
Over the years, Dr. Cato has taken the opportunity to train and introduce modern dental procedures such as rotary endodontics, and cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry, and, at present, hold a certificate in implantology from the University of Hong Kong edx program
The next step is to attain proficiency in implant dentistry, which she is fervently working on with the help of Dr. Samuel Ansah as her mentor.
Being a strong believer in mentorship, Dr. Cato deliberately leaves a slot each year at Bestsmile Dental for a young female senior secondary school graduate who is unable to further her education due to financial constraints. This is meant to keep them busy and guide them in career choices while they prepare to enrol in a tertiary program the next year.
Some of the beneficiaries are currently enrolled in the Nursing and Midwifery school, Cape Coast University, and the University of Ghana, pursuing various courses with one currently working as a fully qualified Dental Surgery Assistant.
She is a member of ASOP (Affiliated School Outreach Program) and Doctors in the Gap, NGOs that organize regular outreaches to rural areas to offer medical and dental services.
Her hobbies are dancing and experimenting with food recipes.