Hispanic Dental Association

The Dean and Faculty at UAB School of Dentistry recently commissioned the creation of an Hispanic Dental Association Chapter for the School.

Faculty Sponsors are Drs. Raquel Mazer and Dr. Ruth Aponte.

The Hispanic Dental Association, formed in 1990, is the only national organization of dental professionals dedicated to promoting and improving the oral health of the Hispanic community and providing advocacy for Hispanic oral health professionals across the United States. Comprised of members that include practicing dentists, dental educators, allied dental educators and allied dental professionals as well as students, the Association works with a wide spectrum of individuals to improve education, foster research and communicate to Hispanic and non-Hispanic dental professionals and the community at large about oral health issues specific to the Hispanic community.

The Association is supported through membership dues and a Corporate Roundtable Sponsorship Program that is comprised of corporate entities who support the Association's mission. A Board of Trustees whose leadership is its Executive Committee: the President, Immediate Past President, President-Elect, Vice President and Treasurer, governs HDA. The Association also has a Foundation, the Hispanic Dental Association Foundation, which is the conduit for scholarship funds. Both the Hispanic Dental Association and the Hispanic Dental Association Foundation are 501(c)3 non-profit organizations.

Working through its members at large, its six Professional Chapters and thirty-plus Student Chapters, the Association also strives to encourage interest in oral health careers among Hispanics and provide tools and support to those already serving the Hispanic population.