This story is part of a series on the challenges and solutions related to oral health in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. It is made possible with funding support from the Delta Dental Foundation.
Jessica A. Rickert graduated from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1975, becoming the first American Indian female dentist in the country.
A half-century later, Rickert continues to use her experience to address disparities in oral health care and inspire the next generation of Native American dentists.
Her history is part of a new exhibit at the
Grand Rapids Children's Museum (GRCM), which features a display designed to make oral health education fun and engaging. The Mitten Kids Dental Exhibit has been enhanced with interactive elements and a large-scale gallery wall showcasing influential dentists throughout history.
Representation is a key focus of the gallery wall, highlighting diverse dental figures, including Rickert, who has dedicated her career to breaking barriers and advocating for underserved communities.
“Whenever I ask, 'Have you ever seen an American Indian dentist,’” Rickert says, “the answer is always ‘No.’ The Children’s Museum dental exhibit can change that.”
The exhibit allows children to role-play as dentists and patients, act out dental procedures, explore dental instruments and X-rays, and clean the teeth of a puppet patient. The latest additions include an immersive giant mouth for brushing and flossing away sugar bugs. The creative displays make learning about oral health engaging, ease fears about dental visits, and inspire future careers in dentistry.
Showing the possibilities
“We know that play is a powerful tool for learning,” says Maggie Lancaster, CEO of GRCM. “This exhibit not only helps children become comfortable with the dentist. As a child, I feared going to the dentist, and I wasn’t alone. I wish I had been able to play through the experience first, just like kids can now do at GRCM. This exhibit helps make dental care approachable, fun, and exciting.
“This exhibit also introduces them to the possibility of a career in dentistry,” she adds. “The representation of Dr. Rickert and other diverse dental professionals opens up those dreams for all children.”
The Mitten Kids Dental Exhibit is included with museum admission and will be available through May 31. It is sponsored by Mitten Kids Dentistry & Orthodontics, with support from the Michigan Dental Association Foundation and the West Michigan Dental Foundation.
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CourtesyDr. Jessica Rickert, DDS, and Grand Rapids Public Museum CEO Maggie Lancaster. Behind them, the exhibit highlights the USA's first female, American Indian, and African American dentists
As a member of the Society of American Indian Dentists, Rickert is an author, creator of a multi-use,
tooth-shaped pillow for children, and was inducted into the
Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 2009. She was profiled in the National Institutes of Health’s 2017 book, “
The Power of Role Models: A Collection of Native American Role Models.”
She is the Anishinaabe Dental Outreach Specialist for Delta Dental of Michigan.
The program was created to address the disparities in oral health care between the Michigan Indian population and the general population. And she visits underserved communities across the state to raise awareness of preventive dental services. In her role, Rickert travels to all 12 Michigan reservations and several Urban Indian Centers.
Roughly 400 American Indian dentists are practicing across the country, far short of the 3,000 needed for parity. Rickert attributes the low number of American Indian dentists to a lack of role models.
An untraveled path
She addresses the issue in her book,
”Exploring Careers in Dentistry.” Rickert recalls her interest in math and science as a young person and how a family doctor encouraged her to consider a career in medicine when she was 12.
Rickert remembers that the year she graduated from dental school, she was one of only six women in the program and the only Native American.
A member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, she is a direct descendant of the Indian chief Wahbememe (Whitepigeon), for whom a village in Southwest Michigan is named. Rickert's grandmother was among the hundreds of thousands of children forcibly removed from their families and sent out of state to assimilate by being stripped of their Native identity.
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CourtesyDr. Jessica Rickert, DDS, stands inside the GRCM’s oversized mouth exhibit, holding an oversized toothbrush.
Rickert grew up in the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming, though her family often visited relatives on the Saginaw Chippewa and Gun Lake reservations.
“This was long before there was any money on the reservations,” she says. “People lived in huts without running water, using outhouses and lacking electricity. Dirt roads led to their homes, and it was a very impoverished environment.”
The oldest of seven children, Rickert says her family believed in education. But her path to one of the country’s top universities and its competitive dental school exceeded expectations.
“My uncles, Jim White Pigeon and Levi White Pigeon, went to Western Michigan University. Levi became a music teacher, and Jim became a certified public accountant. Another uncle became an electrician. My aunts pursued training in secretarial fields, but they all graduated from high school, which is significant given that even now, American Indians have the highest dropout rate of any population group,” Rickert says. “While there has been some improvement, the level of educational attainment for American Indians remains low.”
Rickert recalls that at the time, “It was even more unusual to go to the University of Michigan as a female or a minority. They were able to fill their ranks with young male students, whether in the university or the dental school. There was definitely a barrier there, and they often didn’t give consideration to non-white or female applicants.”
At the U-M School of Dentistry, Rickert says she faced resistance from faculty.
“All the professors were white males, and they made it clear they didn’t want us (female students) there,” she says. “But some faculty eventually saw that we could perform dental procedures and handle the academic work. Some of the women in my class were exceptionally bright and capable.”
Imbalance remains
Despite progress since then, Rickert says more work is needed to increase the number of American Indian professionals in dentistry.
“There are about 400 American Indian dentists in the entire country, not even one dentist per tribe,” she says. “To achieve parity with the general population, there should be around 3,000 American Indian dentists. Unfortunately, many American Indians face barriers to accessing professional schools.”
After graduation, Rickert ran a private dental practice in the Southeast Michigan community of Birmingham while raising three children with her husband. They are now grandparents of 11, and she describes dentistry as an ideal career for maintaining a work-life balance.
“The dental career is ideal for men or women to have enough time for family while earning a substantial income,” Rickert says.
Now residing in Traverse City, Rickert continues her advocacy as an Anishinaabe ambassador for Delta Dental. She travels to urban Indian centers and reservations, promoting oral health and increasing awareness about its impact on overall well-being.
“When I speak to tribal health directors and educators, many don’t fully understand the oral-systemic connection and its effect on general health,” Rickert says. “I often attend powwows, setting up a dental table to provide information. Tribal leaders frequently tell me how glad they are that I’m there.”
Reflecting on her career in private practice, Rickert said she was determined to deliver excellent dental care.
“Every patient deserved the best care possible, and that required me to give 100% to each one,” she says. “That’s what a dentist is supposed to do.”