Despite initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels, the underrepresentation of Blacks, Hispanic/Latinos (H/L), and American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) among dentists persists. Improving workforce diversity promotes social justice and also increases access, health equity, and health care quality, particularly for minority populations.

This article quantifies the shortage of underrepresented minority (URM) dentists and their contributions to health equity by examining practice patterns in relation to characteristics of the communities they serve.