Every dentist in Ontario got to the chair by some route, but few routes are as long as the one that led Dr. Shirin Ansari to Cambridge. She earned her dental degree in Iran, moved to Canada, completed the national equivalency process for internationally trained dentists, registered with the provincial regulator, and then opened her own practice. Each of those steps carries a date that can be checked.
Dental Art Clinic is the result, a general and family dental office in Cambridge that Dr. Ansari opened in 2019 after years of working her way through the Canadian credentialing system.
Key Takeaways
- Dr. Ansari graduated with a DDS from Islamic Azad University in Iran in 2009 and moved to Canada in 2014.
- She completed the National Dental Examining Board of Canada equivalency process in 2017, the same year she registered with the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario.
- Dental Art Clinic opened in Cambridge in 2019, according to the practice’s own team information.
- The practical next step: Cambridge patients can read about the practice’s team before booking a first visit.
A Dental Degree Earned in Iran
Dr. Ansari’s dental education began in Iran, where she graduated with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Islamic Azad University in 2009. That timeline appears both in the biography on the practice’s website and in an independent professional directory listing, and the dates match on every point, which gives patients a way to confirm the story rather than simply read it.
Moving to Canada in 2014
She moved to Canada in 2014. For a dentist trained abroad, arriving in the country is the start of the process, not the end of it. A degree earned elsewhere does not allow a dentist to treat patients in Ontario on its own, and the years between arrival and opening a practice are usually spent meeting the requirements that follow.
The NDEB Equivalency Process
Dentists trained outside Canada and the United States generally need to show that their education and clinical skills meet Canadian standards before they can be licensed. The National Dental Examining Board of Canada runs the equivalency process that tests this. Dr. Ansari completed her NDEB equivalency in 2017.
The process asks internationally trained dentists to demonstrate knowledge and skill through formal assessment, so completing it means meeting the same national benchmark applied to graduates of Canadian programs. It takes commitment, and it is a large part of why so many Ontario dentists have stories that cross continents.
Registration With the RCDSO
Equivalency is followed by provincial registration. An independent directory lists Dr. Ansari’s registration with the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario as dated 15 February 2017. Every dentist who treats patients in Ontario must be registered with the college, and the public register can be searched by anyone, so patients can confirm a dentist’s standing independently of any practice website.
Opening Dental Art Clinic in 2019
Two years after registering, Dr. Ansari opened Dental Art Clinic in Cambridge. According to the practice’s team information, the clinic opened in 2019. It offers general and family dentistry, and the practice’s site lists services including exams and cleanings, preventive care, restorative dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, Invisalign clear aligners, dental implants, emergency care and pediatric dentistry.
The practice describes itself as general and family dentistry. Patients looking for care that falls outside general practice should ask the clinic directly whether a referral is appropriate.
A Team Beside the Founder
Dr. Ansari practises with a team rather than alone. According to the clinic’s team information, that team includes a dental hygienist, and the practice’s hygiene appointments use named equipment, a Woodpecker PT-B scaler and air polisher. Because staffing details can change, patients who want to know who they will see should ask the clinic when booking.
What the Story Offers Patients
Dr. Ansari’s path does not by itself say anything about the quality of a particular filling or cleaning, and a biography is not a promise of results. What it does show is a documented, verifiable route to practising in Ontario, with dates that line up across independent sources. For patients in Cambridge choosing a dentist, that transparency is a reasonable place to begin.
Meeting the Team in Cambridge
Patients who want to know more about who they will see can meet the practice’s team before booking an exam. From there, new and returning patients can contact Dental Art Clinic directly to arrange a visit.
