2006 Hispanic Dental Association Annual Meeting Will Examine Diversity, Cultural Competency, Access to Care.

Hundreds of Dental Professionals Expected to Attend 14 (th) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, November 2-4

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. -- The Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) will hold its 14th Annual Meeting November 2-4 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles. The program will span a wide variety of clinical and practice management issues of interest to Hispanic dental professionals and those who work within the Hispanic dental community. This year, hundreds of members are expected to attend the event as the HDA examines diversity in the dental education community, cultural competency and increasing access to care in the underserved Hispanic patient population in the United States, among other topics.

"Oral health care in the United States is undergoing many great and exciting changes, including a growing number of Hispanic dental practitioners and patients," said Dr. Ernest L. Garcia, Jr., President of the Hispanic Dental Association. "At this year's HDA Annual Meeting, we will look at some of the complex issues confronting our profession and seek to find some consensus for how we as Hispanic dental professionals can take a leadership role in addressing them."

HDA Annual Meeting Sessions of Note

Although the number of Hispanic dental practitioners in the United States is increasing, it has failed to keep pace with the growth of Hispanic dental patients in this country. Census Bureau figures from 2000 showed a 58 percent increase in the country's Hispanic population since 1990, and the Latino population grew to 37 million in July 2001, up 4.7 percent from April 2000. As this trend continues experts predict that the U.S. population will be 40 percent Hispanic by the mid-21st century.

The Dental Pipeline program was launched in 2003 to address this demographic shift by increasing recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority and low-income dental students. At the HDA Annual Meeting on Friday, November 3, Dr. Mario Ramos, the Immediate Past-President of the Hispanic Dental Association, will moderate a symposium on the Dental Pipeline, "Where Do We Go From Here?" Panelists Dr. Howard Bailit, Dr. Charles Alexander, Dr. Oscar Arevalo, Dr. Paul Glassman, Dr. Sarita Arteaga, and George Zamora will discuss diversity in dental universities and the status of recruitment now that the Dental Pipeline program has been in place for four years. The interactive session will examine the program's impact on community-based dental education, and panelists will look at next steps to build upon progress made.

Later that day, the importance of cultural competency will be discussed by Magda de la Torre in her presentation, "Providing Culturally Effective Oral Health Care." Ms. de la Torre will examine the importance of recognizing diverse cultural factors and social norms, including an acknowledgement of patients' values, attitudes and beliefs, as dental professional provide the best oral health care to all patients. Because effective communication between the oral health care provider and the patient is essential, the session will provide knowledge and skills to enhance cross-cultural communication as providers care for an increasingly diverse patient population.

On Saturday, November 4, Dr. Francisco Ramos-Gomez will address the issue of increasing access to care for the underserved in his presentation, "Head Start Collaboration in the Era of Perinatal and Infant Oral Care." The Head Start and Migrant seasonal Head Start programs are in a key position to address perinatal and infant oral health disparities that are occurring within the Hispanic population. Dr. Ramos-Gomez will lead a panel that includes Marelisa Gonzalez, Dr. Cecilia Edwards and Dr. John Rossetti in discussing activities to date and what the future holds for this critical program.

For more information about the HDA Annual Meeting, please visit www.hdassoc.org or call [phone].

About the Hispanic Dental Association

The Hispanic Dental Association is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that was established in 1990 by ten Hispanic dental professionals. Today it is a national organization with members in all U.S. states, primarily in those states with large Hispanic populations. Members include Hispanic professionals and non-Hispanics; dentists; dental hygienists; dental assistants; dental technologists; academics; practicing professionals; students; and researchers.

The objectives of the HDA are to provide a voice for the Hispanic oral professional in the United States; to promote the oral health of the Hispanic community through improved prevention, treatment and education; to foster research and knowledge concerning Hispanic oral health problems; to disseminate information to both Hispanic dental professionals and the community at large; to provide a worldwide source of continuing education for oral health professionals serving the Hispanic community; and to stimulate interest and encourage entry of Hispanics into oral health.

The HDA now has ten working committees, 35 regional affiliate chapters, 41 institutional supporters and eight professional organization supporters. In addition, a Corporate Round Table was created in 1998, which includes firms that advise the HDA on reaching its goals of growth and ongoing programs.