Texas A&M College of Dentistry

Factors such as disability, gender, income, race, geographic location, language and education all affect oral health care. This ripped piece of paper with these factors serves as an illustration for this public health concern.
On Campus

Center of Excellence Conference 2015

March 09, 2015 | by Jennifer Fuentes
Factors such as disability, gender, income, race, geographic location, language and education all affect oral health care. This ripped piece of paper with these factors serves as an illustration for this public health concern.

There is no question that a health care gap exists in the U.S., but what exactly determines effective ways to deal with oral health disparities?

During the March 28 Center of Excellence Conference at Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, attendees will get a closer look at how oral health disparities are influenced by:

  • race and ethnicity;
  • education;
  • Road Block to Dental Care Graphic - A road block is between a house and a dentist's office, illustrating the various determinants of oral health inequalityincome;
  • disability;
  • language;
  • geographic location; and
  • gender.

Eventbrite - Center of Excellence Conference 2015 - Bridging the Health Care Gap: Social and Cultural Determinants of Oral Health Disparities

Keynote speaker Dr. Caswell Evans Jr., associate dean for prevention and public health sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry — a former director of the National Oral Health Initiative within the office of the U.S. Surgeon General — will also delve into methods for providers to advance equity in oral health care.

Attendance is free for students, faculty, staff and residents of TAMBCD and other health professions schools, as well as participants in the college’s post-baccalaureate program. Other oral health professionals and attendees may register for a fee.

In its third year, the Center of Excellence Conference offers three continuing education hours for health care providers and is made possible through a $3.4 million grant to the college from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers of Excellence program.