The report found a dramatic decline in Latino dental graduates in California

The number of Latino dental graduates in California, Los Angeles, USA, fell by nearly 80% between 1982 and 1999, resulting in fewer dentists to serve a growing, Spanish-speaking population.

A study published in the Journal of Dental Education (2007; 71: 227–234) by a team at the University of California has found that the number of Latinos who graduated from dental schools, and hence able to acquire licenses to practice dentistry in California, fell from 74% to 15% even as the state's Latino population increased by 42.7% during that time.

The authors of the study said that as Latino dentists are likely to both speak Spanish and English and to practice in areas with heavy Latino populations, there would be fewer dentists to serve this population. Also, the shortfall during that period was so large that a dramatic increase would not make up the difference today. Research was funded by UCLA's Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture.