Delta Dental launches dental student diversity scholarship

The Delta Dental Foundation has launched a scholarship to support dental students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.

The $25,000 scholarship will support four students each year beginning study at the Ohio State University College of Dentistry, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, Indiana University School of Dentistry, and the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.

Dental care remains underused by or inaccessible to communities of color -- largely due to historical disenfranchisement and discrimination, which can lead to "poorer oral health and higher rates of periodontal disease and tooth decay," according to the foundation. Better professional representation can mitigate this, but less than 10% of dentists are Black, Latinx, or Indigenous, the foundation said.