The Delta Dental Institute announced
its second class of Delta Dental
Oral Health Diversity Fund Awardees

Among the awardees, SAID received $200,000 to expand its Telling the Story of a Path to Dentistry: Connecting American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Dentists with AI/AN Youth programming.

SAID’s Telling the Story of a Path to Dentistry: Connecting American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Dentists with AI/AN Youth program links AI/AN dentists serving as volunteer oral health ambassadors with Native high school students to tell their story about becoming a dentist and inspire more Native youth to consider a career in dentistry.

SAID's President, Dr. Cristin Haase shared, "The Society of American Indian Dentists is humbled to be named a 2024 Delta Dental Oral Health Diversity Fund Award for our "Telling the story of a path to dentistry: Connecting AI/AN dentists with AI/AN youth program. "As a two-time awardee, we are grateful for the trust the Delta Dental Institute has placed in our organization to make a meaningful contribution toward exposing more Indigenous youth to the oral health professions."

As part of their Driving Greater Diversity in the Oral Health Workforce campaign, in 2024, Delta Dental has awarded over $980,000 to fund innovative programs that inspire school-aged children from historically underrepresented groups to pursue careers in oral health.

"Delta Dental is committed to supporting the next generation of diverse oral health professionals. We are proud to announce our second class of Delta Dental Oral Health Diversity Fund awardees. These programs provide school-aged children from underrepresented communities with access to mentors and innovative educational opportunities that pave the way toward careers in oral health,” said James W. Hutchison, President & CEO of Delta Dental Plans Association. "It is inspiring to see the interest and excitement these programs are creating. We look forward to continuing to support solutions that advance the oral health workforce.”Research has shown that racial and ethnic diversity among health professionals is linked to better patient satisfaction and improved health outcomes. However, the current oral health workforce does not reflect that diversity; fewer than 0.2% of dentists are American Indian/Alaska Native.

WHO WE ARE

SAID is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the unique needs of Indigenous dentists, while also increasing the number of Indigenous dentists in the United States.

Dr. George Blue Spruce, Jr., is the first American Indian dentist in the United States, graduating from Creighton University School of Dentistry in 1956. He is also the founder of the Society of American Indian Dentists (SAID). In discussing the need for an organization like SAID, he said, “I looked behind me, and I saw very few American Indians going through to become doctored health professionals. And so I thought that I would think very seriously about an organization that would help promote that effort” (Blue Spruce, 2012). 

Since its founding in 1990 with just a few members, SAID has promoted dental health in American Indian communities, encouraged AI/AN youth to pursue careers in the profession of dentistry, provided role-model leadership, and promoted and supported the unique concerns of AI/AN dentists. Membership has doubled over the last couple of years, and about half of those members are students.