Between 1890 to 1910, African American physicians outnumbered Whites by three to one. In 1910, the Carnegie Foundation published Abraham Flexner's Report to standardize medical educational settings in the U.S. and Canada. Flexner's Report recommended reducing the number of poorly trained physicians and inferior medical schools by implementing science-based prerequisites for medical training. Inadvertently, Flexner's Report impacted dental, law, and nursing professions. One hundred years after Flexner's Report, African Americans account for 13.3% of the U.S. population but make up 5.8% of U.S. dentists. Black students must be prepared for the sciences' rigor before and throughout dental school. Self-efficacy has emerged as an important factor in academic motivation, goal setting, performance, and persistence. The history of the problem results from many variables: implementation of the recommendations of the Flexner's Report, K-12 schools failed legislative initiatives (e.g., No Child Left Behind and Every Student Succeeds Act), K-12 school's lack of multicultural science curricula (e.g., social justice-centered curricula and pedagogical practices), K-12 schools lack preservice teacher programs (e.g., cultural incongruence or cultural competency), under-resourced K-12 schools in disadvantage communities, lack of mentors throughout their educational endeavors, a disproportionate number of African Americans attaining degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) areas, and lack of "pipeline" recruitment into and assistance throughout the student's dental education endeavors. With many variables, examining African Americans' self-efficacy through dental schools after Flexner's Report is necessary. As the continental U.S. continues to change, it is important to recognize the need to diversify the healthcare workforce and how critical it is to provide underserved communities access to quality dental care, reduce oral health incongruities, and increase patient satisfaction. Diversity within the dental profession is imperative to providing access to underserved communities because African Americans are more likely to treat Black patients, and student diversity enhances educational experiences for all students. Additionally, studies have shown that patients respond more positively to treatment when the provider is an individual of the same ethnic group. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]