Brooks Ernestine S, Gravely Tamara C, Hornback Sheryl A, Cunningham La Chelle P, McCann Ann L, Long Jack L
Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
J Am Coll Dent. 2002 Winter;69(1):23-30.
Presently, 25.7% of the U.S. population is comprised of Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. The dental school enrollment of underrepresented minorities (URM) does not reflect this demographic distribution. In 1994, URM students comprised 12.68% of enrolled dental students, but in 1999, enrollment decreased to 10.53%. This trend is evident at Baylor College of Dentistry (BCD). Bridge to Dentistry involves formal linkages with local school districts, Texas colleges and universities, community organizations, dental clinics, community dentists, and BCD. The program is unique in that it targets students from kindergarten through dental school. The key components are awareness, attraction, preliminary education, facilitated-entry, admissions, financial aid, and retention. Some important features of the program are visits to area schools, visits to colleges and universities, summer enrichment programs, and academic advising. Preliminary results indicate the effectiveness of the program. BCD has increased its enrollment of URM students 325% over that of 1998. In 1998, 4.7% of the college's first-year student enrollment was URMs. In 2001, 14.6% of Baylor's first-year student enrollment was URMs. Since 1995, BCD has retained 90.6% of its URM students.
目前，美国人口中有25.7%由黑人/非裔美国人、西班牙裔和美国原住民组成。牙科院校中未被充分代表的少数族裔（URM）的入学情况并未反映出这种人口分布。1994年，URM学生占牙科院校入学学生的12.68%，但到1999年，这一比例降至10.53%。这种趋势在贝勒牙科学院（BCD）很明显。“通往牙科之路”项目涉及与当地学区、得克萨斯州的学院和大学、社区组织、牙科诊所、社区牙医以及BCD建立正式联系。该项目的独特之处在于其目标受众是从幼儿园到牙科院校的学生。关键组成部分包括提高认知度、吸引学生、初步教育、便利入学、招生、经济援助和留校。该项目的一些重要特色包括访问当地学校、访问学院和大学、暑期强化项目以及学业咨询。初步结果表明了该项目的有效性。与1998年相比，BCD的URM学生入学人数增加了325%。1998年，该学院一年级学生中URM学生占4.7%。2001年，贝勒大学一年级学生中URM学生占14.6%。自1995年以来，BCD的URM学生留校率为90.6%。
