This paper derives estimates of the demand for dental care among the U.S. population 65 years of age and over. The analysis is unique in that it focuses on a segment of the population with particular relevance to future policy regarding dental insurance coverage and distinguishes determinants of dental care demand by type of service. The empirical estimates suggest that the use of dental servic...

Objective: The Swedish policy objectives in dental care provision – to meet public demands for dental care and to increase the cost-effectiveness of the service – require dentists to work in teams with dental hygienists and dental nurses. This study focused on the role of dentists in the distribution of work tasks within teams in one Swedish Public Dental Service organisation. Dental clinics we...

Community Health Centers (CHCs) are one of the principal safety-net providers of health care for low-income and uninsured populations. Co-locating dental services in primary care settings provides an opportunity to improve access to dental care. Yet this study of California CHCs that provide primary care services shows that only about one-third of them co-located primary and dental care service...

Mercury in dentistry has re-emerged as a contentious issue in public health, predominantly because so many people are inadvertently exposed to mercury in order to obtain the benefits of dental amalgam fillings, and the risks remain difficult to interpret. This commentary aims to examine the issues involved in public policy assessment of the continued use of dental amalgam in dentistry. More tha...

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recognizes emergency care for infants, children, adolescents, and individuals with special health care needs is an essential duty of every dentist. The American Dental Association’s Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct states that “dentists shall be obliged to make reasonable arrangements for the emergency care of their patient...

Numerous case reports support the assertion that secondary infection around prosthetic joints can occur after dental disease or manipulation, or both, but the need for prophylactic antibiotics remains controversial. In the United States prophylaxis is recommended, whereas in Britain individuals adopt their own policy. We surveyed orthopaedic surgeons and dental and general practitioners to dete...

The number of vacant budgeted faculty positions in dental schools has continued to decline, dropping from 296 in 2003-04 to 275 in 2004-05. The number of lost positions declined to twenty-five, from 147 lost positions reported in 2003-04. While the average number of vacancies per dental school was just under five, three-quarters of these vacancies were considered usual and normal to the operati...

BACKGROUND Vulnerable populations such as people with refugee backgrounds are at increased risk of poor oral health. Given that maternal characteristics play a significant role in the development of dental caries in children, antenatal care offers an opportunity to both provide information to women about the importance of maternal oral health and accessing dental care. Although pregnant women a...

The use of fluorides in dental public health programs has a long history. With the availability of fluoridation and other forms of fluorides, dental caries have declined dramatically in the United States. This article reviews some of the ways fluorides are used in public health programs and discusses issues related to their effectiveness, cost, and policy.