LGBTQIA+ People
Investment in LGBTQIA+ Health Equity
Historically, LGBTQIA+ people have experienced stigma and discrimination when accessing health care services, creating significant disparities such as feeling self-conscious or embarrassed about their dental status, anticipating difficulty finding dental care if needed, and being more likely to visit an emergency department for dental care. Oral health professionals should prioritize nuanced approaches and practices that center inclusive and culturally responsive care. Improving oral health professionals’ knowledge about, attitudes toward, and comfort in investing in clinical care for LGBTQIA+ people remains a critical aspect of advancing oral health equity for this community.
Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices
Dental education institutions play a key role in ensuring effective dental care delivery by future oral health clinicians. Most formal education settings in both dental schools and dental hygiene programs cover LGBTQIA+ topics in their curricula. However, faculty and students often report differing perspectives as to the level of investment and comprehensive curriculum integration that results from this institutional focus.
Respondents came from a number of different sectors and roles.
LGBTQIA+ Oral Health Week
In 2022, AIDPH hosted the inaugural LGBTQIA+ Oral Health Week, an educational campaign designed to highlight the specific oral health needs of the LGBTQIA+ community for dental and public health professionals. Building on this foundation, the 2023 campaign deepened its focus on cultural responsiveness, inclusive resources, emerging research, and transitioning from allyship to active accomplice.
The goals of this campaign are to enhance the capacity of oral health professionals to provide culturally responsive care, create visually appealing, multi-faceted resources for a broad range of audiences, and empower the oral health community to engage in advocacy and action for the well-being of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Oral Health Access for Transgender People
AIDPH analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to assess oral healthcare access and utilization for transgender people in this recently published peer-reviewed article from the Journal of Public Health Dentistry. Primarily focused on sociodemographic influences of dental care access and utilization for transgender people, results from the present study indicated three main findings within the analyzed sample: 1. Trends in demographic variable analyses indicated that transgender people are more likely to be younger, unemployed, more racially diverse, and have lower incomes compared to cisgender people. 2. Transgender people are less likely to have health insurance coverage and are also less likely to see a dentist regularly compared to cisgender people. 3. The social, structural, and economic barriers that are disproportionately experienced by transgender people impact access and utilization of healthcare, including dental care.
Project Spotlight: Creating Inclusion and Belonging for LGBTQIA+ People in Dental Education
This research project underway in 2024 will evaluate and address disparities in LGBTQIA+ oral health care and equity within dental education settings through the implementation of a pilot program framework. The research aims to reduce health disparities and barriers faced by the LGBTQIA+ community in accessing oral healthcare and promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging within dental education.
This project will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods.