NSW Dentist | Issue 1 2026 |

Filling the Gap volunteer Dr Rami Osman has made a genuine difference in the lives of people who need access to dental care, by contributing writer Caitlin Wright.

Dr Rami Osman is not one to boast about the years he’s spent volunteering as a dentist. In fact, he’d prefer no one knew at all.

“I like helping, but in a private way. I don’t like everyone to know about it,” he said.  

But when he was told the goal of this article was to encourage more dentists to volunteer, he agreed to tell his story, “because we always need people to help,” he said.

Volunteering has become a core part of how he practises and reminds him why he chose this profession.

“To help, to relieve pain, and to give people back confidence and dignity.”

From nursing assistant to dentist: Dr Osman’s path to dentistry

Dr Osman has been volunteering for many years, even before he was a qualified dentist in Australia. He chose the profession because he saw it as a middle ground between medicine (two of his sisters are doctors) and engineering (which is his father’s profession).

Since 2018 he has worked as a casual dental nurse “in practically every practice in Sydney” while he worked towards registration with the Dental Board of Australia.

Around the same time, he started volunteering as a dental nurse with Filling the Gap (FTG) and the Australian Dental Association Dental Health Foundation (ADA DHF).

“I initially joined to gain experience. But very quickly, I realised that those volunteer days were shaping not just my skills, but my entire outlook on what it means to be part of this profession,” he recalled.

During the early years, he helped with chairside support to calm anxious patients who had previously avoided treatment.

“I saw first-hand how deeply oral health affects people’s daily lives. How a single toothache could stop someone from working, how missing teeth could damage a person’s confidence, and how financial barriers often forced individuals to live with pain they simply couldn’t afford to treat.

“Those experiences taught me that dentistry is as much about compassion as it is about clinical skill,” he said.

Dr Osman passed his registration exams in 2024 and started working as a practising dentist. He now works during the week at two practices in the Newcastle area of NSW and returns to Sydney each weekend to work at a city practice and see his family.

Continuing the call for help

But despite his busy schedule, volunteering for Filling the Gap remains a focus, only this time he’s a clinician providing treatment rather than assisting.

“I now perform restorations, extractions, emergency care, preventive treatments, and whatever else is needed to support patients who often feel they have nowhere else to go,” he said.   

The people he helps can’t afford dental treatment. One particular patient who had uncontrolled diabetes and multiple odontogenic infections stood out.

“She was in agony. I told her this is gum disease. If your gum disease is not controlled, your diabetes is not going to be controlled, and vice versa.

“Some people come from countries that don’t care about health conditions. They say, ‘Oh, I will be okay. Don’t worry about that’. And then they will end up with very serious problems. On that day, I removed four or five teeth,” he recalled.

Despite her reluctance, he convinced her to see a GP to talk about her diabetes and improve her overall health.

“The patients I meet through these programs continue to shape my growth far beyond the clinical aspects of practice. They remind me that behind every appointment is a person with a story, a struggle, and a hope for better health,” Dr Osman said.

Always learning and growing

For students, there are obvious benefits of volunteering, including gaining crucial experience and a better understanding of the community. But he said volunteering teaches many other skills that can’t be taught by a textbook.

“Communication skills (and) working as a team, because you are there only for one day. If you are making a treatment plan, you have to make it very good, because there’s someone else who’s going to take over and complete the work,” he said.

There’s also the people you get to meet. Dr Osman said he’s met the most amazing dentists and specialists who have helped nurture him.

In particular, Dr Robert Dalby who is his mentor from the ADA NSW mentoring program has been crucial in shaping his journey and providing unwavering support.

“Saying thank you to this guy would never be enough, he is genuinely a wonderful man, both personally and professionally,” he said.

He understands that volunteering is a very personal thing. He’s always been someone who has been naturally drawn to it.

“I’m happy to help anyone who needs help. It’s not for specific people. I don’t care who’s getting the benefit, as long as I’m doing something, I’m happy,” he said.

“My father, Dr Nazar Antwan, instilled in me from an early age the principle that help should be offered to anyone in need, irrespective of their background, character, or race. His example taught me that compassion must remain unconditional and that our responsibility to assist others should never be limited by personal judgment,” he said.

Dr Osman hopes more dentists consider putting aside some time to volunteer, either through the Filling the Gap program, or elsewhere.

“Looking back, the path from volunteer student to volunteer dentist has been one of the most meaningful parts of my journey. Those early experiences shaped not only my clinical abilities but also my values,” he said.

For him, it keeps him grounded and reminds him daily of the privilege and responsibility he holds as a dental practitioner.

“Most importantly, it reinforces why I entered this field: to make a genuine difference in the lives of people who need it most.”