Today, as part of its Driving Greater Diversity in the Oral Health Workforce campaign, the Delta Dental Institute announced the inaugural award recipients of over $700,000 from the Delta Dental Oral Health Diversity Fund, the first national investment fund focused on ensuring more school-aged children from historically underrepresented groups consider careers in oral health. The four awardees are: Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships, the Hispanic Dental Association, NAF, and the Society of American Indian Dentists.
“As the nation’s oral health leader and its largest oral health philanthropist, Delta Dental embraces the opportunity to address the needs of the diverse communities we serve and to contribute to more equitable health outcomes,” said James W. Hutchison, president & CEO of Delta Dental Plans Association. “Our inaugural group of awardees will help ensure our future dental professionals more closely represent the communities they serve, so that all Americans can have better oral and overall health.”
Research has shown that racial and ethnic diversity among health professionals is linked to better patient satisfaction and improved health outcomes. However, the current oral health workforce does not reflect that diversity; fewer than 10% of dentists are Black or Hispanic, while those same groups comprise more than 30% of the U.S. population.
Source: Delta Dental Awards $725,000 to Programs Working to Drive Greater Diversity / Dentistry Today