A diverse oral health workforce is important for providing care to patients of different backgrounds and improving health equity overall. Unfortunately, Blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in dental education programs and in the larger oral health workforce.

This article describes a study that analyzed the demographic data of dental programs and recent graduates and conducted key informant interviews with representatives from dental schools that have been successful at creating a diverse student body to better understand what dental school factors were associated with more diverse representation and what barriers exist to creating these diverse environments.