Delta Dental
Launched in 2023, the Delta Dental Oral Health Diversity Fund invests up to $1 million annually in comprehensive solutions, innovative pilots, and scalable models that inspire school-aged children from historically underrepresented groups to pursue a career in oral health.
2024 Delta Dental Oral Health Diversity Fund awardees include six organizations dedicated to inspiring school-aged children from historically underrepresented groups to pursue a career in oral health
Pathways to Smiles: Nurturing Inclusivity in the Oral Health Professions
Pathways to Smiles aims to inspire future oral health professionals through an interactive, hands-on curriculum in partnership with the Area Health Education Center (AHEC). The program will engage students by highlighting the importance of oral health’s connection to overall health and providing and providing a clear understanding of the academic pathway into the dental profession.
This scalable pilot program will target underserved communities and regions with limited access to oral health education, with the potential to significantly impact oral health equity and diversify the workforce nationwide.
Pathways to Smiles strives to break down barriers to education, ensuring that students from all backgrounds can pursue careers in oral health.
Diversify Dentistry Youth Summit™
The Diversify Dentistry Youth Summit™ empowers middle and high school students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds to consider a career in dentistry.
The Summit offers an immersive exploration of the oral health profession, engaging students with diverse dental professionals and activities that inspire them to envision themselves in the field. It culminates with a White Coat Ceremony, encouraging participants to see their potential as future dentists.
Designed for dental schools, the toolkit helps them engage with local communities and expand pathways to oral health careers. This one-day event ignites exploration, engagement, and hope, guided by the motto “We D.I.D. It… So Can You!”
Diversity in Dentistry Mentorships In Action
2024 Diversify Dentistry Youth Summit at the University of Missouri Kansas City >> Watch the video recap
2024 Diversity Dentistry Youth Summit at Midwestern College of Dental Medicine >> Watch the video recap
Hear from an attendee of the 2024 Diversity Dentistry Youth Summit at Midwestern College of Dental Medicine as she reflects on the experience of attending the event >> Watch the testimonial
Promoting Oral Health Pathways
Promoting Oral Health Pathways program within their Academies of Health Sciences curriculum, introduces oral health as an exciting, viable career path for school-aged children.
The program will include the continued development of an Oral Health vertical within the Academy of Health Sciences curriculum, where students will be exposed to authentic, project-based learning activities.
Through NAF’s work-based learning platform (KnoPro), students will work with experts to learn about the oral health field and raise awareness of career opportunities through “Challenges” and “Skillbuilders.”
Local engagement in key priority geographies will be integrated into curriculum efforts to further amplify these opportunities for young people.
S.M.I.L.E. Healthcare Pathway Program
The S.M.I.L.E. Healthcare Pathway Program is a week-long program that introduces rising 9th and 10th graders to careers in the oral health field. The program aims to increase diversity in the health care workforce and improve health outcomes in underserved communities.
The program's highlights include:
Mentorship: Students receive guidance from experienced dental professionals
Hands-on learning: Students learn real-world procedures and develop practical skills
Career pathway exposure: Students learn about a variety of dental career options
Collaboration and networking: Students meet other rising 9th and 10th graders from across the country
Capstone project: Students present their learnings through a tangible project
Pathways to Smilez: The Discovering Dentistry Symposium Program
The Planet Smilez Discovering Dentistry Symposium is a one-day immersive event designed for middle and high school students from educationally and economically underserved dental health professional shortage areas.
By promoting workforce diversity, the program uses a comprehensive educational approach based on the social-ecological model. It educates students on the connection between oral and systemic health, career paths in oral health care, and the daily routines of dental professionals through hands-on simulation and mentorship.
These activities provide practical skills and inspire participants to pursue careers in oral health care. Planet Smilez increases the visibility of diverse oral health professionals, empowering students from underrepresented backgrounds to envision themselves in leadership and educational roles, fostering inclusivity in the oral health care fields.
Telling the Story of a Path to Dentistry: Connecting American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Dentists with AI/AN Youth
The Telling the Story of a Path to Dentistry: Connecting AI/AN Dentists with AI/AN Youth program encourages more Native youth to consider and work toward a career in dentistry.
Volunteer members of the Society of American Indian Dentists (SAID), themselves AI/AN, provide presentations developed in the first year of this grant to their community high schools telling the story of their journey to become a dentist and inspiring more Native youth to consider and work toward a career in dentistry.
The project is driven by a vision to increase AI/AN representation in the dental profession, thereby reducing barriers to access to oral health care in all Tribal Nations.
