Henry Schein, National Dental Association, and Schattner Foundation Advance Dental Careers in Underrepresented Communities 

Henry Schein, Inc., the National Dental Association (NDA), and the Schattner Foundation just completed the second year of an innovative program designed to inspire students from historically underrepresented backgrounds to enter the dental profession. The S.M.I.L.E. (Student Mentoring with Immersive Learning and Enrichment) Healthcare Pathway Program aims to advance oral health equity by pairing students from diverse backgrounds with dental professionals as part of a three-year pilot program. The 2024 program was held July 7-12 at Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville, Tennessee. This year, 35 ninth and tenth-grade students from Alaska, Arizona, Alabama, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington, D.C. attended the program, which provided an enriching experience that introduced the students to the diverse career opportunities available within dentistry. The partners expanded the 2024 program to include students from Hispanic, Alaska Native, American Indian and Indigenous backgrounds, partnering closely with the Hispanic Dental Association, the Society of American Indian Dentists, Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, and A.T. Still University’s Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health.