Dental public health is a para-clinical specialty of dentistry concerned with the prevention of oral disease and the promotion of oral health at the population level rather than in individual patients. Practitioners assess the dental health needs of populations and design programs to reduce disease burden, often working through government-sponsored initiatives directed at schoolchildren on the premise that early oral hygiene education reaches the wider public most effectively. The specialty has been recognized by the American Dental Association since 1950 as a distinct, non-clinical discipline within dentistry.
Facts
Central QuestionSourced to the subject's own accountWhat population-level policy and resource choices reduce the largely preventable burden of oral disease, rather than treating it case by case. 1 Key DebateSourced to the subject's own accountCommunity water fluoridation, a core preventive measure in dental public health, remains contested on its own terms: opposition to adding fluoride to drinking water arises from political, ethical, economic and health considerations, not only from technical dispute about safety and effectiveness. 2 Key DebateSourced to the subject's own accountHow far a country can carry out preventive dental public health policy is bounded by the resources it actually has, so a program that works in one setting cannot simply be transplanted to another. 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Dental Public Health
WikipediaLead section, first sentence
Dental public health is a para-clinical specialty of dentistry that deals with the prevention of oral disease and promotion of oral health.
Lead section, second paragraph
Implementation of policies and principles varies due to availability of resources.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Water Fluoridation Controversy
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
Opposition to the addition of fluoride to drinking water arises from political, ethical, economic, and health considerations.
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