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J Dent Educ. 68(9): 938-946 2004
© 2004 American Dental Education Association
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Critical Issues in Dental Education

The Pathway to Dentistry for Minority Students: From Their Perspective

Keith Veal, B.A.; Michael Perry, M.A.; Judith Stavisky, M.P.H., M.Ed.; Kim D’Abreu Herbert, M.P.H.

Mr. Veal is an Associate Analyst at Lake Snell Perry & Associates, Inc.; Mr. Perry is a Partner at Lake Snell Perry & Associates, Inc.; Judith Stavisky is a Senior Program Officer at The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and Ms. D’Abreu-Herbert is Deputy Director of Pipeline, Profession, & Practice: Community-Based Dental Education at Columbia University Medical Center. Direct correspondence and requests for reprints to Ms. Kim D’Abreu Herbert, Columbia University Center for Community Health Partnerships, 630 W. 168th Street, P& S Box 100, New York, NY 10032; 212-304-6629 phone; 212-544-1938 fax; kdh2002{at}columbia.edu.

Key words: student, minority, dental school, diversity, recruitment

Submitted for publication 06/30/04; accepted 07/09/04

The small number of minorities in the field of dentistry is a serious concern. While the United States as a whole has become more diverse with minorities making up 25 percent of the total U.S. population, only a handful (14 percent) are currently practicing dentistry, and only 11 percent entering dental schools are underrepresented minorities. Pipeline, Profession, & Practice: Community-Based Dental Education is a national foundation-sponsored program designed to address this issue in dental education. To understand the reasons why dentistry attracts so few underrepresented minority (URM) students, we conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews to determine the challenges facing minority students when they apply to and attend dental school. Ten focus groups were conducted with a total of ninety-two minority students (fourteen undergraduate students and seventy-eight students currently enrolled in dental schools) at six universities in four geographic regions. In addition, four in-depth interviews were held with faculty advisors who teach, mentor, and recruit minority students. The major findings of the study are as follows: 1) early and frequent exposure to dentistry and dentists in practice is essential for minority students to consider this profession; 2) while many dental schools have earnestly tried to recruit minority applicants, most URM students find out about dental programs by a family member or friend and not as a result of an intentional recruiting effort; and 3) hearing directly from minority students could be a solid first step in understanding the dental school experience from a different vantage point. This study has important implications for the methods dental schools use to both recruit minority students and foster a learning environment that is sensitive to students from diverse backgrounds.




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