Looking to the Future of Black History Month

Black History Month, first recognized during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial in 1976, gives us the chance to look back on the countless accomplishments of Black Americans. It’s a time to reflect on the individuals who, through innovation, invention, and courage, helped shape our country.  

Many Black Americans helped shape oral health history, too. Dr. Robert Tanner Freeman was the first Black person to earn a dental degree when he graduated from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 1869. He died four years later, but he was a mentor to many other aspiring dentists. Two decades later, in 1890, Dr. Ida Gray Nelson Rollins became the first Black woman to earn a dental degree when she graduated from the University of Michigan. She opened practices in Cincinnati and Chicago and served those communities for more than 30 years, inspiring generations of providers. 

Black History Month is also a good time to pause and reflect on what future generations will experience and what they will remember. What will we remember in a decade? Or in 50 years? What changes that we make in society today will get us closer to equity for all in the future?  

In oral health, we know there is room for improvement. During the past year, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, with its mission firmly set on creating an accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system, published several reports and created education that shine a light on the gaps in equity. In the process, we’ve uncovered several statistics that show the work that lies ahead. For example: 

• Black adults are 68% more likely than white adults to have an unmet dental need. 

• Black adults were 22% less likely than white adults to have had a routine dental visit in 2020.  

• 57% of Black adults have lost one or more permanent teeth due to decay or gum disease, compared to 46% of all adults. 

• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to white adults, Black adults were two times more likely to lose dental insurance. 

• 71% of providers of color reported significant reductions in patient volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 57% of white providers. 

• Black adults are almost three times more likely to visit an emergency department for dental care for pain/discomfort than other groups. 

Taken together, the statistics paint a picture of an inequitable system that needs care, attention, and advocacy to change. That’s exactly what CareQuest Institute is aiming to do. Through efforts like our Advancing Equity Through Oral Health Fund, we are driving oral health transformation that support efforts to dismantle unjust structures and systems that drive disparities across oral health. Similarly, in our advocacy work, we are providing resources, educational materials, and grants to support efforts to expand adult dental benefits — something that is critical to achieving health equity.  

What else can we do? How can we start today, the first day of the month in which we celebrate so many meaningful achievements from the past? On the individual level, there are plenty of places to get started. 

During last September’s webinar “Building Antiracist Policies and Practices into Health Care Settings,” speaker Monica Wang, ScD, MS, associate director of Narrative at the BU Center for Antiracist Research, shared her perspective on what individuals can do: 

• Use terms (racism, racist) accurately and talk about them. 

• Be curious about your own biases. 

• Learn about different forms of racism. 

• Pay attention to the language used to describe people. 

• Familiarize yourself with the literature on racial/ethnic health inequities in your field. 

Will we be sharing these same actions when we celebrate Black History Month in 2052? Will we be pointing to the same troubling statistics? It’s up to all of us to answer those questions.  

Editor’s Note: Learn more about CareQuest Institute’s work to create an equitable oral health system.