Diversity in allied dental programs and community colleges

Student retention is the most critical challenge facing most traditional 4- and 2-year institutions. Challenges related to student belonging and retention are among many that colleges must contend with daily. Once students arrive, they are met with an academic environment that may greatly differ from their high school and home experiences.

There is evidence that classroom success is influenced by faculty tone setting and the overall campus climate. Other studies have shown that creating a sense of belonging on college campuses is essential. Classroom success can be moderated by relationships with faculty, especially with faculty of color and other minoritized groups.

Given the predicted shortages of minority dental healthcare providers in the United States and the expanding diversity of the general population, it is important to recruit and retain an ethnically and culturally diverse allied dental workforce.

The objectives of this research were to identify strategies to recruit underrepresented (underrepresented minority [URM]) students into health professions, understand the significance of underrepresented (URM) faculty's influence on the number of URM student recruitment, retention, and graduation rates, and how to implement best practices for overall minority student success.