The Black dentist workforce in the United States

Abstract

Objectives The purpose of this paper is to describe the Black dentist workforce, the practice patterns of providers, and their contributions to oral health care for minority and underserved patients. Methods A national sample survey of underrepresented minority dentists was conducted in 2012 and received a 32.6% response rate for self-reported Black dentists. Data were weighted for selection and response bias to be nationally representative. Descriptive and multivariable statistics were computed to provide a workforce profile of Black dentists. National comparisons are provided from published data. Results Among all Black dentists (weighted n=6,254), 76.6% self-identify as African-American, 13.2% as African, and 10.3% as Afro-Caribbean. The largest share of Black dentists are male, married, heterosexual, born in the U.S. and raised in a medium to large city. One third of Black dentists were the first in their family to graduate from college. Black dentists report higher average educational debt than all dental students, graduates from International Dentist Programs having the greatest debt. Traditional practices (i.e., private practices) dominate, with 67.1% of Black dentists starting out in this setting and 73.5% currently in the setting. Black dentists care for a disproportionate share of Black patients, with an average patient mix that is 44.9% Black. Two in five Black dentists reported their patient pool is made up of more than 50% Black patients. Conclusions The underrepresentation for Black dentists is extraordinary, and the Black dentists that are in practice are shouldering a disproportionate share of dental care for minority and underserved communities.

Dental safety net capacity: An innovative use of existing data to measure dentists’ clinical engagement in state Medicaid programs

“…This study also assessed whether certain characteristics of Medicaid‐enrolled dentists were associated with their level of participation in state Medicaid programs. Findings revealed that significant predictors of the level of clinical engagement are consistent with previous literature examining factors influencing Medicaid enrollment . These consistencies provide some external validity to this new method of measuring levels of Medicaid participation.…”

“…Our findings validate several demographic and practice characteristics of dentists [i.e., job status, self‐reported Medicaid participation, age, race, dental practice type ] as predictors of their participation in state Medicaid programs. Just as importantly, our study provides a novel method of measuring the relative contribution (clinical engagement) of dentists in state Medicaid programs by examining Medicaid claims counts and DHPSA designation resources in addition to state‐based licensure data.…”

Underrepresented Minority Dentists: Quantifying Their Numbers And Characterizing The Communities They Serve

“…The 863 underrepresented minority students enrolled in dental school in 2015 represent 1.6 percent of the estimated 53,753 underrepresented minority dentists needed for parity in the current system. [19–21,24]…”

“…[19–21,23] Most underrepresented minority dentists work in traditional, private, fee-for-service practices where required out-of-pocket spending and lack of meaningful insurance coverage present significant barriers to people’s receiving care even where there is an adequate workforce. [35] Therefore, it is not surprising that economic and geographic factors had the most influence on underrepresented minority dentists’ initial choices of practice despite the dentists’ expressed intent to work in high-need areas.…”

“…[19–21] In this study we examined the practice patterns of underrepresented minority dentists in relation to the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the communities in which they practice. We used a 2012 survey of a national sample of underrepresented minority dentists in conjunction with several available sources of national data.…”