Indiana dentist Elizabeth Simpson, DMD, encouraged dentists to ask themselves "the hard questions" about racial health and income disparities in a June 11 blog post she wrote for the American Dental Association.
Dr. Simpson, who graduated from Boston-based Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 2010, was one of only five black students in her 157-person class. She noted that this was true at an institution that "actively sought out a diverse student body."
Upon realizing black people account for 12.4 percent of the U.S. population but only 4.3 percent of dentists, Dr. Simpson tried to implement a mentoring program pairing dental students of color with high school students of color who were interested in pursuing a dental career. However, the program never came to fruition because she could not find enough dental students to match the number of high school students who were interested.
Dr. Simpson is calling on all dentists to examine racial disparities in the field because there simply are not enough black dentists to effectively address the problem.
Since studies have found that black dentists care for a disproportionate amount of black patients, she is urging all dentists to examine the systemic reasons why they may not have many black patients. She also encourages all dentists to speak with their young patients of color to see and point them toward mentors or opportunities that could lead to a career in dentistry or whatever profession they show interest in.
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