A dental student who cannot meet their basic needs cannot fully focus on becoming the clinician California needs them to be. That reality is at the heart of a new CDA Foundation initiative to address a growing and largely invisible crisis: food insecurity among dental students.
Dental students are not immune from the broader pressures reshaping life in the United States. Studies published as recently as 2025 place food insecurity prevalence among dental students at approximately 46%, a rate that reflects the compounding pressures of inflation, rising tuition rates that outpace financial aid, and California’s cost of living that exceeds loan limits. And these stressors aren’t left behind at graduation; financial strain and career pressure can follow into dental practice, too.
At the same time, dental schools have made meaningful strides in enrolling students from more diverse backgrounds, including first-generation college graduates and internationally trained dental professionals pursuing licensure. These students often are unable to bridge the gap between what educational loans cover and what it costs to live and study in California. Dental students cannot supplement their income meaningfully during school, many are supporting families on fixed loan amounts and international students are categorically ineligible for federal food assistance programs. The result is quiet yet widespread hardship for students in each of California’s seven dental schools.
Support for dental students during ‘most demanding period of their training’
The CDA Foundation’s new Dental Student Food Insecurity Program, launched from a generous $100,000 gift from the Scott and Susie Kim Family Foundation inspired by a 2025 ADA House of Delegates resolution, will provide funding to establish or supplement food and emergency aid pantries on California dental school campuses.
“In order for the next generation of dentists to serve with excellence and compassion, the profession has a responsibility to ensure they are supported during the most demanding period of their training,” said Scott Kim, DDS. “The CDA Foundation is uniquely positioned to lead this work given its demonstrated expertise in developing thoughtful, scalable programs and reflects the kind of comprehensive, forward-looking approach needed to meaningfully strengthen the dental workforce.”
Alongside direct pantry support, the Foundation will develop a statewide resource toolkit for integration into dental school matriculation programming, giving every incoming dental student in California the skills and resources to navigate challenges throughout school and into their careers: practical budgeting guides, meal planning resources and support for using social services including CalFresh. And because food insecurity among dental students is not a problem specific to California, the Foundation is building these resources to be shared with dental schools across the country.
“Investing in the wellbeing of dental students is an investment in the future of oral health care in California,” said CDA President Robert Hanlon, DMD.
CDA family of companies provides $100K gift to program, opens donations
To sustain the program’s impact, the Foundation is launching a fundraising campaign with a goal of building a self-sustaining endowment. The CDA family of companies is also providing a $100,000 gift to the program, a commitment that reflects the belief that this initiative’s direct support for students should be designed for the long term.
“California’s dental students are training to serve some of the state’s most underserved communities,” said Gabi Garces, CDA Foundation board chair. “Making sure they have what they need to get through school is not a separate mission from expanding access to care. The two are part of the same commitment.”
Donations to the Dental Student Food Insecurity Program can be made at cdafoundation.org. For more information about the program or to learn about partnership opportunities, email [email protected].
The CDA Foundation is the nonprofit arm of the California Dental Association. This food security initiative is part of a broader Foundation commitment to student well-being, including the Dental School Wellness Grant. Launched in February, the grant supports events on burnout prevention and stress management at California dental schools. Learn more about how the Foundation’s other grants and programs support the dental profession’s efforts to meet community needs by signing up to receive updates on events, ways to get involved, and more.