The dentist behind Dental Panda
Meet Dr. Andries Smith
Dental Panda was created by a dentist who understands how overwhelming dental education can feel—because he has faced that challenge himself.
Dr. Andries Smith combines more than a decade of clinical experience with the personal experience of preparing for American dental board examinations as an internationally trained dentist. He created Dental Panda to make high-quality dental knowledge easier to understand, easier to access, and more useful to the people who need it.
His story
From experienced dentist to dental student once again
Dr. Andries studied dentistry at the University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry in New Zealand. He went on to gain more than a decade of clinical experience working in hospitals, public dental clinics, and private practices.
After immigrating to the United States, he encountered a challenge familiar to many internationally trained dentists: despite years of clinical practice, he needed to return to intensive study and complete the American dental board examination process.
“I knew dentistry—but I also had to relearn how to study it, organize it, and apply it in the way the examination expected.”
The experience revealed how difficult it could be to find study resources that were current, clearly organized, and affordable. Too many options were expensive, outdated, or built around memorizing disconnected facts rather than developing clinical understanding.
Dr. Andries created Dental Panda to offer the kind of resource he wished had existed during his own preparation: a practical, approachable place where learners can develop a stronger understanding of dentistry without unnecessary barriers.
Dental education
Trained at the University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry in New Zealand.
Clinical experience
More than a decade of experience across hospitals, public clinics, and private dental practices.
Firsthand perspective
Personal experience navigating American dental examinations as an internationally trained dentist.
Why Dental Panda exists
Dental education should be clear, practical, and accessible.
Dental Panda exists to help people move beyond memorizing isolated facts and toward genuinely understanding the principles behind dentistry.
Explain complex subjects clearly
Technical terminology is introduced in context and explained without removing the clinical detail dental learners need.
Connect knowledge to clinical practice
Articles aim to explain not only what a concept means, but why it matters in diagnosis, treatment planning, patient care, and examinations.
Reduce barriers to learning
The Dental Panda Wiki is freely available so that students and dental professionals can explore important topics without encountering a paywall.
Who Dental Panda helps
A dental knowledge resource built around learners
The wiki is especially designed for dental students and internationally trained dentists, while remaining useful to other members of the dental community.
Dental students
Build foundational knowledge, review difficult subjects, and connect classroom concepts to clinical situations.
INBDE candidates
Review high-yield dental concepts with an emphasis on understanding, application, and clinical decision-making.
International dentists
Become more familiar with American terminology, examination expectations, and approaches to dental education.
Dental professionals
Refresh important concepts or find a clear starting point for further reading and professional research.
Our commitment to readers
Useful dental education requires care and accountability.
Dental Panda aims to make its content helpful, transparent, and grounded in credible dental knowledge. As the wiki grows, these principles guide how its resources are developed and improved.
Readers should be able to understand who is responsible for the educational material they are reading.
Credible sources
Articles should draw on recognized textbooks, peer-reviewed research, professional guidance, and other appropriate dental sources.
Practical explanations
Content should connect scientific principles with clinical relevance instead of presenting facts without context.
Continual improvement
Dental knowledge changes. Content should be reviewed, corrected, and updated when better information or new guidance becomes available.
Start exploring the Dental Panda Wiki
Search hundreds of dentistry articles, review a subject area, or access Dental Panda’s free INBDE study resources.
Educational notice: Dental Panda provides general educational information. Its content is not a substitute for professional dental advice, diagnosis, treatment, formal clinical training, or the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider.