The rise and fall of the Latino dentist supply in California: implications for dental education.

The purpose of this study was to determine the number of Latino dentists in California, identify the schools and countries where they were educated, and compare Latino dentist demographics with that of the state's new demographics. From the 2000 California Department of Consumer Affairs list of 25,273 dentists, we identified Latino U.S. dental graduates (USDGs) by "heavily Hispanic" surnames and Latino international dental graduates (IDGs) by country and school of graduation. From the 2000 U.S. census Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS), we described Latino dentist characteristics such as Spanish language capacity and practice location. The number of Latino dentists acquiring licenses to practice in California has fallen dramatically, by nearly 80 percent, between 1983 and 2000. This decline is not merely an affirmative action issue; it results in an issue of access. Latino dentists are far more likely to speak Spanish and be located in a heavily Latino area than non-Latino dentists. Currently, although the supply of Latino dentists is dwindling, the Latino population is growing rapidly. In California and out-of-state schools, first-year matriculation of Latino USDG must increase. Further, non-Latino dentists should be prepared and given incentives to learn Spanish and locate practices in areas of need. The reintroduction of IDG Latino dentists needs to be seriously considered.

Hepatitis A: the burden among Latino children in California

OBJETIVO: Determinar la tasa de prevalencia de la hepatitis A entre ciertos grupos de población de los condados del sur de California. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se calcularon las tasas de hepatitis A por edad y raza/etnia utilizando los datos de los archivos del Centro de Servicios de Salud y Vigilancia de California, y los denominadores demográficos del ciclo 1996-2001 de la Sección de Estadísticas del Departamento de Finanzas de California. RESULTADOS: Los 2.3 millones de niños latinos (de 0 a 14 años) de cinco condados del sur de California presentaron una tasa de 31.1 casos por cada 100 000 niños, lo que muestra que es cinco veces más alta que la tasa anglosajona. CONCLUSIONES: El Comité Consejero de Prácticas de Inmunización del CDC recomienda vacunar rutinariamente a los niños con índices "muy altos" de hepatitis A. La frecuencia anual de hepatitis A, especialmente en el sur de California, alcanzó el índice "muy alto" de acuerdo con lo establecido por el CDC; por lo tanto, debería considerarse a los niños latinos de estos condados para la administración rutinaria de vacunas contra la hepatitis A. Como la salud no tiene fronteras, este problema debería tomarse en cuenta por los servicios de la salud pública de ambos países, México y Estados Unidos.

Hepatitis A: the burden among Latino children in California.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of Hepatitis A within subpopulations of southern California counties. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Age and race/ethnic-specific hepatitis A rates were derived from the California Department of Health Services Surveillance and Statistics Section for 1996-2001 and from demographic data of the California Department of Finance. RESULTS: 2.3 million Latino children (aged 0-14 years) in five southern California counties had a rate of 31.1 cases per 100,000, five times higher than the non-Hispanic white rate. CONCLUSION: The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends routine vaccination for children with "very high" rates of hepatitis A. The annual prevalence of hepatitis A in California, especially in southern California, met the CDC's "very high" definition, therefore Latino children in these counties should be considered for routine childhood hepatitis A vaccination. As health has no borders, this issue should be addressed by the public health services of both, the United States' and Mexico's public health services.