The rise in number of the Hispanic community is clearly inevitable in the past few years. One of the negative things that are brought about by this population growth is the distribution shortage of Latin dentists available. Hence, many of these people do not receive the proper dental care that they need. And what’s worse is that it has been reported that there is a disproportionate number of practicing Hispanic dentists across the country. Even the number of students who are applying to or graduating from dental schools in the United States is not enough to cover everyone who is in need of dental care.
If this problem continues, then the Hispanic community living in the country will suffer from its disadvantages today and in the future. Moreover, this distribution shortage also has a negative impact on American businesses. This is why the HDA (Hispanic Dental Association) and other concerned organizations are doing what they can to improve awareness among the Latin residents through education. Through these free services that they are conducting, the people are made aware of the critical importance of participating in oral health care and pursuing careers related to it.
This is not a newly sprouted problem. In fact, back in the year 2000, Dr. David Satcher stated that there are different levels of oral health care problems being experienced by the minor and ethnic groups residing in the U.S. Two of the major reasons for this problem that he pointed out are the high level of uneducated individuals when it comes to dental care and the scarcity in number of dental professionals. Although there is a noticeable increase in the percentage of students who enroll in dental schools, the number remains to be lower than the total Hispanic presence in the country.
This may seem insignificant for others but it is very alarming, especially if majority of the Hispanic community is misled to believing that it is fine for them not to have their regular oral check-up. Oral health care is very important. It greatly affects a person’s overall well-being. If this aspect is taken for granted, it can lead to grave health problems later on. The Hispanic Dental Association is seriously concerned about this issue. They are tirelessly looking for ways on how they can alleviate this with very limited resources. They are currently asking for assistance from other organizations to come up with effective solutions for the problem.
Speaking of which, the HDA has made significant progress with their mission. They have successfully tied up with a number of well-known groups that are also focused on the betterment of oral health care. One of their biggest partners is Procter & Gamble. In their pursuit of improving the Hispanic community’s awareness on dental care, they have given scholarship grants to a number of students who are aspiring to be dentists. P&G is doing what they can to help the Hispanic Dental Association eliminate the distribution shortage of Spanish dental professionals. Together, they will be able to make the oral health care services better for the Latinos in due time.