Reflections of a distinguished alumna

Photo courtesy Kathleen O'Neill-Smith

Kathleen O’Neill-Smith discusses her alma mater’s influence on her life, the rationale behind her distinctive career path and her take on the future of dental hygiene

To say Kathleen O’Neill-Smith ’65, ’73 has enjoyed a dynamic career in dental hygiene would be an understatement. The 2013 Distinguished Alumna has spent one half of her career immersed in private practice and the other steeped in marketing, consulting, direct sales and product development — along the way picking up leadership roles at local, state and national professional organizations, even a term as president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Several years after receiving her certificate from the Caruth School of Dental Hygiene, O’Neill-Smith made two enterprising decisions. She went back to school, first earning her bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene at Caruth and then, in 1979, a master’s in health professions at what was then Southwest Texas State University. Her motive was to further her education, and she in turn shared that knowledge with others for decades afterward, publishing numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and lecturing across the country.

Currently, O’Neill-Smith is a clinical education manager for Hu-Friedy, where she oversees direct sales at dental and dental hygiene schools in a three-state region, providing invaluable curriculum tips and building lasting relationships in the process.

Whether it’s in the academic, corporate or private-practice arenas, one thing is certain: O’Neill-Smith continues to make her mark on the dental hygiene profession. Despite the hectic workweeks traveling throughout Texas and the Southwest, it should come as no surprise that in the days following the alumni award announcement, O’Neill-Smith carved out the time to compose her thoughts on the alma mater she loves and the profession that has brought her so far.

The influence of Baylor College of Dentistry and Caruth School of Dental Hygiene
Reflections by Kathleen O’Neill-Smith

Fortune shined on me when I had a summer dental position that led me to Baylor and Caruth. I was exposed to dedicated people who were disciplined, had a passion to educate, were fun-loving and wanted to mentor.

Caruth at Baylor taught us critical thinking skills, instilled confidence and prepared us to meet the challenges of a constantly changing profession.

I was deeply influenced by Dr. Ruth Swords and Dr. Betty Kersten. Dr. Swords, the director, was the epitome of professionalism and dignity. Dr. Kersten taught us the advanced instrumentation with curettes and subgingival scaling. One of the most inspiring experiences was hearing Kay Gandy — an alumna of the special program class of 1957 — at our capping ceremony. As president of ADHA, she led the way for advancement of the dental hygiene profession.

Career choices for women in the ’60s were severely limited. My plan was to pass the courses and have a successful career that I could ‘fall back on.’ I soon discovered a dynamic profession through which I could help shape the future.

As president of the Dallas Dental Hygienists’ Society, the Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, I was introduced to dentistry, which made me recognize the need for the dental hygiene profession to be involved to achieve growth through the political process. Exposure to business and manufacturing procedures helped me to understand their influence on the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene. 

The decision to pursue a master’s degree in health professions continued the lifelong learning foundation that began for me as a student at Caruth.

As I look into the future of dental hygiene, I see a profession that will continue to meet the needs of the dental patient as an integral member of the multidisciplinary health care team. We will be closely aligned to medical and dental research and developments.