Study says Latinos lack dental care

[United Press International]

LOS ANGELES, May 10 (UPI) -- California's relatively small
number of Latino dentists may be having an impact on the level of
tooth care available in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods.
A UCLA study released late last week found that only 4.6
percent of California's dentists are of Latino descent, and
non-Latinos tend not to set up practices in areas with large
Hispanic populations.
UCLA Professor David Hayes-Bautista said in a release that
the data worked out to a ratio of more than 9,000 Latino
Californians per Latino dentist compared to 950 non-Latino patients
for each non-Latino dentist.
Hayes-Bautista said the findings point to a need to recruit
more Latino dental students and add cultural training for students
from other ethnic groups. In addition, he suggested, the state
should consider allowing Mexican dentists to set up shop in areas of
California where there is a shortage of dental care.