Transforming Public Health Dentistry: Incorporating Social Mission Into Dental Education

This article examines how dental education and workforce development can be leveraged to advance health equity in oral health. Persistent disparities in access to dental care, particularly in underserved areas, highlight the urgency of transforming public health dentistry. The concept of social mission provides a framework to align institutional strategies with equitable outcomes.

This article synthesizes data on dental workforce composition, enrollment trends, and representative case examples from U.S. dental schools. It reviews how dental education institutions have implemented comprehensive programs to diversify the workforce and improve care delivery in socioeconomically deprived communities.

Despite incremental increases in enrollment of learners from underrepresented communities in healthcare, the dental workforce remains insufficiently diverse relative to population demographics. Schools/programs integrating admissions reforms, community-based training, socially accountable leadership, inclusive environments for faculty and students, and culturally responsive curricula demonstrated measurable outcomes, including increased provider representation in underserved areas and improved patient engagement. However, recent shifts in legislative policy have already been associated with threats to social mission areas in some programs, such as declining school diversity.

Transforming public health dentistry requires intentional strategies that embed social mission into the core functions of dental schools. Institutional leadership, innovative partnerships, and policy advocacy are critical to building a workforce capable of addressing structural inequities in oral health. Comprehensive, data-driven approaches can guide institutional progress toward more equitable dental care access and outcomes through the power of dental education reform.