Fostering Inclusive Excellence: Reimagining Oral Science Research and Admissions to Advance Dentistry During Perilous Times.

Abstract

Purpose: Recent shifts in public policy and legislation have aimed to dismantle progress toward racial equity in the United States, especially within the realm of education. Dental education institutions are responsible for cultivating the oral healthcare workforce of the future, but their ability to meet the growing dental burden is hampered by the intentional dismantling of equitable, race-conscious policies in education. This manuscript makes the case for dental school administrators and faculty to ethically promote racial equity and inclusion in their institutions and proposes strategies to accomplish this goal.

Methods: The authors synthesized existing evidence to support the promotion of anti-racist initiatives in oral health education and dental curricula. They proposed a three-pronged call to action detailing strategies that dental school administrators could rapidly implement to drive equity and higher-quality dental education and oral healthcare more broadly.

Results: The authors strongly recommend that dental school administrators: 1) Intentionally frame a message of urgency regarding the promotion of racial equity in dental education, 2) Elevate student leaders to be the leading advocates for inclusivity in dental schools, and 3) Evaluate student applicants holistically using professional competencies, so the future dental workforce will feature professionals who uphold all the standards of the profession, not just academic standards.

Conclusions: The reversal of racially inclusive educational policies threatens to diminish the quality of dental education. With these proposed strategies and others, educators can improve dental schools nationally, and the future oral healthcare workforce can better serve all people.