Purpose Statement:
Minority populations in America, namely African American and Hispanic, are growing faster than any other population group. However, this growth has not been witnessed in the number of health professionals in this country, including dental and medical students and faculty. Currently there are 34 million African Americans, approximately twelve percent of the general population, yet they only represent one percent of dentists in this country. With these figures in mind, one can begin to understand the current disparities in the health status of minority populations compared with the general populations. The mission of our group is firmly rooted in the ideals of recruitment, retention, and professional transition with a focus on rights, interest, and welfare of future dental professionals. Over the years, our prominent organization has risen to the challenges of identifying and representing the concerns of underrepresented minorities in dental schools across the nation. The SNDA will help to reverse the drastic decline in minority application and enrollment in our dental institutions.
