Recruitment of ethnic and socio-economically disadvantaged students into dentistry

A program designed to attract and graduate underrepresented minorities and disadvantaged students in dentistry is reported. The program consisted of three phases: career orientation, recruitment, and academic enrichment/retention. In the six years of this program's existence, the number of minority students enrolled increased from 1 to 28, including 12 who were graduated by June 1979. Only two were lost because of academic difficulties. An analysis of grades and tutorial needs showed that students experienced the most difficulty with first-year basic science courses. Recommendations are presented for program improvement.