Native News Online: We Need More Native American Representation in Oral Health Care

A recent white paper from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, the Society of American Indian Dentists (SAID), and the National Indian Health Board’s (NIHB) Tribal Oral Health Initiative helps explain why. “American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Face a ‘Disproportionate Burden of Oral Disease’: Reversing Inequities Involves Challenges and Opportunities” spotlights that the number of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students applying to dental school has decreased dramatically over the past decade, with a record high of 92 in 2006 to record lows within the past 20 years of 16 AI/AN applicants in 2019 and 19 in 2021.  

Read the full article.