From a call to action to taking action: Exploring the science, education, practice, and policy implications of dental public health as an antiracist discipline

The global history of racial discrimination and oppression influences the racial inequities that are evident today. The protests after the murder of George Floyd raised the public consciousness about systemic racism, which was further amplified by the evident inequities caused by the pandemic, and highlighted the intersection of poverty, social and racial injustices, and health.

Many cities, states, and organizations across the United States have declared that racism is a public health crisis. As dental public health professionals, we have seen decades of scientific evidence showing the degree and persistence of racial inequities in oral health access, outcomes, and workforce diversity. However, evidence in scientific research and public health practice that explores and/or addresses the root causes of these inequities – namely, racism – have been scarce. This special issue aims to elevate the voices of scholars, public health professionals, and organizations that have been doing the work of anti-racism in dental public health in order to inspire and highlight opportunities for further action within our field.

To be clear, the root causes of racial inequities are individual and systemic racism. And to make progress on reducing racial inequities, we as a dental public health community need to be actively engaged in anti-racism work. It is the hope of the authors and editors that after reading the special issue, readers will be inspired to reflect on their work with an eye toward opportunities for anti-racist action, and to gain a deeper commitment to equity. As practitioners and those committed to oral health, we must center anti-racism in our work – to deliver care, train students and residents, improve population-level health, conduct the best scientific research, and advocate and implement effective policies – if we are to live up to the ideals of equity and justice.

Following a call to action by AAPHD [2], this special issue advances  knowledge on anti-racism and oral health, and demonstrates numerous anti-racist approaches in the areas of scientific research, education, practice, and policy. Topics include new scholarship and guidance on anti-racist methodological approaches in research, perspectives and scholarship on anti-racism in dental public health education and workforce, and examples of anti-racist programs and advocacy activities. Many historically underrepresented racial and ethnic minority populations are represented in this special issue, not as populations of study but as scholars, advocates, authors, contributors, and reviewers.

With intention, the special issue was curated to explore, with as many diverse voices as possible and from a holistic perspective, how the discipline can be anti-racist not just in its words but in its works. This issue also highlights the activities of various organizations that are engaging in anti-racist practices, including the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the Diverse Dental Society (which includes the National Dental Association, Hispanic Dental Association, and Society of American Indian Dentists), the Oral Health Progress and Equity Network (OPEN), and Community Catalyst.

These new findings, perspectives, and voices elucidate the multitude of ways in which dental public health practitioners can engage in anti-racism. Just a few examples include via anti-racist faculty recruitment and retention practices (S. Smith), reducing discrimination and bias in dental education (Ahmadifard, Demopoulos) and in the workforce (Fleming, Poole), anti-racist programmatic and advocacy activities (Oishi, Johnson, Wilson), measuring and improving equity in care quality (Herndon), through anti-racist research practices (Fleming, Baldwin, P. Smith), and understanding the population-level oral health impacts of racism and discrimination on oral health (Bastos, Singhal). Consider this special issue as a blueprint that articulates a plan for how to transform dental public health as more inclusive, more just, and more equitable.

To be effective at addressing racism as a root cause of racial inequities, we must work broadly toward eliminating the existing structures and policies that perpetuate systemic racism and White supremacy. However, we cannot operate in isolation. We as a collective dental public health community must promote the best scientific information; support efforts to improve equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging within dental education; advocate for anti-racist policies; and encourage practices that advance health equity. Now is the time for us to take action, and this special issue is the next step that we are taking as an organization. We hope that after reading this issue you will see opportunities for yourself to join in this work. Together we can be the change.