The Berlin declaration on oral health and oral health services.

Although there are sufficient dentists in the world today, the majority of people do not have access to adequate, affordable, and acceptable oral health services. Discussions about the effectiveness of dental procedures and dental care in general are dominated by the concerns of dentists in industrialized countries. Are lasers useful in periodontal treatment? Which glass-ionomer cement should be used? Such questions are academic to the millions of people living in deprived communities and countries. Their needs are ignored despite the prevalence of dental diseases. The oral health of children in many developing countries is worse than that of children m developed countries, and the former eannot afford the appropriate resotirces to deal with the diseases. In all eotrntries, the dental profession and government place more emphasis on the curative and technological aspects of dentistry than on promoting prevention and community programs for oral health, which are more effective and would have greater impact on the oral health of dentally deprived communities.