The Surgeon General (2000) reports that minority groups experience disproportionate levels of oral-health problems and that "systems of care" fail to meet those needs. Objective: Identify the perceptions, beliefs, opinions and experiences that effect the oral-health needs, the access to treatment and the burdens resulting from unmet care for minority and non-minority patient groups. Methods: A survey (IRB#2004-U-515) was composed of 49 open-and-closed-ended questions. It was administered by one researcher to a population (136 subjects) comparable to that of the state of Florida, composed by the following; White-non-Hispanic(55.9%);White-Hispanic(14.7%);Black-non-Hispanic(14.7%);BlackHispanic(3.7%);American-Indian(2.2%); Asian or Pacific-Islander(5.1%);Haitian(3.7%). Results: ANOVA showed statistically significant differences in responses by ethnicity, age and gender. Within the minority groups, importance of regular dental visits; a belief that untended oral-health problems would go away; the belief that oral-health is an essential component of overall-health and patient waiting room design were among the factors with statistical significance (p£ 0.05). Gender response differences were noted for females reporting: more fear of dental visits due to possible pain (p£ 0.05); a more active role in oral health care decisions (p£ 0.01); and, the belief that their suggestions would be taken seriously (p£ 0.01). The only significance at age was in regard to waiting room design satisfaction, which was reported (p£ 0.01) by patients £66years(22%). Conclusions:This data will be incorporated into a curriculum design that prepares culturally competent oral-health care practitioners to better serve the needs of vulnerable minority populations. The statistically significant differences noted between groups in this study population indicate that understanding specific group beliefs may facilitate and enhance delivery of more effective, culturally competent oral health care. Research supported by Americus Dental Labs Clearwater and UFCD Student Summer Research Fellowship.

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