The objective of this paper is to advise on the development of practical policies for needlestick injuries in general dental practice. Policies for dealing with occupational exposure to chronic blood borne viruses, namely, hepatitis B, C and HIV are evolving. This article was particularly prompted by recent changes in post exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection. A flow chart is also included wh...

Dr. Weaver is Associate Director, Center for Educational Policy and Research; Ms. Whittaker is Managing Editor; Dr. Valachovic is Executive Director; and Ms. Broom is Associate Executive Director and General Counsel, all at the American Dental Education Association. Direct correspondence to Angela Broom, American Dental Education Association, 1625 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036; 2...

The US Public Health Service has finalized its recommendation relating to community water fluoridation (Federal Panel on Community Water Fluoridation, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2015). It recommends an optimal concentration of 0.7 mg/l F based on their argument that this concentration provides the best balance of protection from dental caries while limiting the risk of dental f...

Carriers of the Hepatitis B virus represent a significant proportion of the world's population. Since the existing policies on how to manage infected dental students lack clarity, the issues related to Hepatitis B and a set of recommendations for the adoption of a new policy will be presented here. After considering the virology, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of Hepatitis B, the curre...

Data collected routinely in dental care delivery systems could be used to inform research and policy. Projects in which data were collected with the help of general dental practitioners are outlined. In an EU-funded project, six partners collaborated to develop a methodology designed to establish links between characteristics of a health care system and health outcome, and to determine the char...

OBJECTIVE One of the goals of Indonesian health policy is 'Health for All'; this includes dental health care. Therefore, it is important to continually evaluate and dynamically assess the effects of government policies, particularly whether these policies promote or obstruct social justice. This study is intended to describe the need for and utilisation of dental care and how disparities in den...