What Dentistry Teaches us About Curbing Racism | Monica Anderson | TEDxOshkosh
A dentist argues that racism is a contagious social cancer, drawing parallels between the process of tooth decay and the spread of bias, asserting that early, ongoing anti-bias training for youth is necessary to prevent societal infection. He uses his personal story with a patient named Bobby and historical dental procedures to illustrate three preventative strategies: daily hygiene, regular visits, and prevention. The core message is that societal "healing begins" when we confront deeply rooted prejudices early.
## Speakers & Context
- Mario Muchacho, a dentist.
- Topic context: Addressing the widespread fear of dentistry and expanding this metaphor to critique racism.
- Anecdote subject: An encounter with a patient named Bobby during the first day of clinic.
## Theses & Positions
- Dental fear (dental phobia) stems from several factors, including potential pain, loss of control, economic impact, and distrust of strangers.
- Racism is not just antagonism based on race/ethnicity; it is compared to a disease—*contagious social cancer*—that is deadly if left untreated.
- Past societal "changes" in legislation or policy are insufficient because they are merely *topical anesthetic* rather than curing the underlying disease.
- A new approach modeled on dentistry is needed: daily hygiene, regular professional visits, and prevention.
- The most vital preventative measure is implementing early, ongoing unconscious bias training for youth (grades K through 12) at home and school.
- The ultimate goal is to expand *moral boundaries* so that society can "extract the fear festering at the roots of our souls."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Dental Phobia:** Fear of the dentist.
- **Cavity:** A hole in the tooth created when bacteria combine with sugar and the plaque film is not removed.
- **Pulp:** The "heart of the tooth," containing nerves and blood vessels that bacteria can destroy.
- **Abscess:** The condition where bacteria destroy the bone around the tooth, traveling down the root canal.
- **Contagious Social Cancer:** The comparison made to racism, suggesting it spreads like a physical disease.
- **Bystander Intervention by the Experts:** Concept taught to recognize and halt negative behavior in others.
- **Daily Mental Hygiene:** The practice of self-reflection to cleanse the mind of irrational biases related to appearance or accent.
- **Systemic Changes vs. Topical Anesthetic:** Distinguishing superficial policy fixes from necessary, deep-seated behavioral reform.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Dental Extraction:** Involves grasping the tooth crown with forceps and mechanically expanding the bony boundaries to extract the entire tooth cleanly.
- **Behavior Change Strategies (Applied to Racism):**
1. **Daily Hygiene:** Brushing (cleans only about 50% of the tooth) supplemented by **flossing** (cleans hidden surfaces between teeth and beneath gums).
2. **Regular Visits:** Seeing the dentist twice a year to check for disease prevention and build a relationship with the patient.
3. **Prevention:** Using agents like fluoride to prevent decay, citing the success of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1945.
- **Combating Bias:** Requires *self-reflection* (cleansing unexposed grooves of the mind) and *bystander intervention* (stopping inappropriate language or jokes).
## Timeline & Sequence
- **17th Century:** Dentists began using dental forceps for tooth extraction.
- **1945:** Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city in the world to fluoridate its water, leading to a **65% decrease in decay** among school-aged children.
- **(Present/Ongoing):** The need to teach anti-bias concepts early, before young people enter the military, workforce, or college.
## Named Entities
- **Bobby:** The patient during the pivotal encounter who displayed fear and racism from his mother.
- **Dr. Fortunato:** Colleague whose wedding the speaker attended, serving as an example of building new personal relationships.
- **Grand Rapids, Michigan:** The location where the first fluoridated water system was implemented in the world.
- **CDC (US Center for Disease Control):** Body that classified fluoride's introduction as one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.
## Numbers & Data
- **60%:** Percentage of people who are afraid of dentists.
- **50%:** Percentage of the tooth surface that brushing cleans.
- **20th Century:** Period during which fluoride was recognized as a major public health achievement.
- **65%:** Decrease in decay seen in school-aged children after Grand Rapids fluoridation.
- **K through 12:** Suggested age range for initial anti-bias training.
## Examples & Cases
- **Bobby's Encounter:** Patient exhibits fear and misogynistic/racist language when his mother blurts, *"Bobby Earl, don’t let that negro put her hand in your mouth."*
- **Modeling Success:** The speaker's ability to establish rapport with Bobby by discussing his team, the Baylor Bears, and ultimately getting him to select extraction.
- **Professional Analogy:** Using the process of extracting a tooth—where forceps grasp the crown and rock it side-to-side while mechanically expanding boundaries—to describe removing the source of disease.
- **Community Action:** The speaker attending Dr. Fortunato's wedding to move from a transactional gift exchange to genuine friendship.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Dental Forceps:** Used since the 17th century to grasp and extract teeth.
- **Floss:** Tool necessary for cleaning surfaces between teeth and beneath the gums.
- **Fluoride:** Chemical agent used in water to prevent tooth decay.
## References Cited
- **Citigroup:** Firm that produced a 2020 analysis showing the US economy lost trillions of dollars and millions of potential jobs due to discrimination.
- **CDC (US Center for Disease Control):** Source citing fluoride's public health achievement.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Topical Anesthetic:** Policy changes are compared to this—temporary numbing that fails to address the underlying infection.
- **Physical Removal vs. Care:** Comparison between the necessary force of extraction and the gentler, continuous care of hygiene/visits.
- **Prevention Timing:** The argument that waiting until youth enter military/workforce/college for anti-bias training is too late; it must happen earlier.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- **Defense of Dentistry:** The speaker notes that while fear exists, the profession combines "art, science, and helping people" in a way that feels *“ooey gooey.”*
- **Assumed Knowledge:** The audience's understanding of dental hygiene is questioned; people only know how to "just brush."
- **Argument Against Early Intervention:** Acknowledging the potential counterargument: "Well, they don’t need this. They won’t understand it."
## Methodology
- **Observation/Anecdote:** Using the experience with Bobby to pivot into a public health metaphor.
- **Dental Procedure Modeling:** Describing the mechanical process of extraction (grasp, rock, expand, remove) as a model for changing prejudice.
- **Public Health Intervention:** Applying proven public health protocols (fluoridation) to social behavior (anti-racism education).
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The primary prescription is to start *ongoing unconscious bias training*, age-appropriate for K through 12.
- The secondary action recommended is for individuals to actively practice *bystander intervention* (e.g., calling out negative language).
- The ultimate required commitment is that "each of us confidently commit to a non-racist environment everywhere, anywhere, everywhere we are."
## Implications & Consequences
- **Societal Impact:** Failure to address racism leads to severe, measurable economic losses (trillions lost, millions of jobs).
- **Personal Trajectory:** Early intervention helps prevent individuals from becoming *carriers* of bias or from being *infected* by prejudice.
- **The Ideal Future:** The day of universal commitment to non-racism will be the day healing begins.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"I hope not, but worldwide, 60% of people are afraid of me. Why? I’m a dentist."*
- *"It makes me feel “ooey gooey” inside."*
- *"Racism is contagious, like tooth decay. Racism is contagious social cancer."*
- *"They are more like topical anesthetic temporarily numbing us to the growing pain, the disease beneath our skins."*
- *"I need to take a look first.”*
- *"Bobby Earl, don’t let that negro put her hand in your mouth."*
- *"Racism is contagious social cancer, and it is deadly left untreated."*
- *"These programs... are more like topical anesthetic temporarily numbing us to the growing pain, the disease beneath our skins."*
- *"The first thing I did was clear the room."*
- *"I can tell you from that day with Bobby and thousands of patients thereafter, that the same strategies I used with him worked well for changing behavior and developing meaningful relationships."*
- *"Eat lunch with a stranger."*
- *"Call an -ism what it -ism."*
- *"If you’re looking at the news, they’re already part of it, but they don’t have the tools or strategies to deal with it."*
- *"The language of equality should never include spelling words that are sexist, ableist, xenophobic, homophobic or racist."*
- *"That is the day ... healing begins."*