Dental caries is a disease process, one that will not be eliminated by tooth repair alone. Caries is the most prevalent disease of children and the primary reason for most restorative dental visits in both adults and children. A risk-based approach to managing caries targets those in greatest jeopardy for contracting the disease and provides…

Children's access to Medicaid dental services is a long-standing concern. The tragic case of a 12-year-old boy who died from an untreated infected tooth that led to a fatal brain infection renewed attention to this issue. He was enrolled in Medicaid--a joint federal and state program that provides health care coverage, including dental care, for…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report describes the scope and severity of early childhood caries (ECC), a…

Primary oral health care, and the scope of services it includes, are defined. The proposed scope of services is a set of basic dental services used by the Indian Health Service. Policy recommendations for improving the integration of primary oral health services with primary health care and delivery are offered. (Author/MSE)

This report presents issues discussed at a workshop on dental education that was organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe in collaboration with the Government of the USSR. Workshop issues included oral health care and health care planning, the role of dentists in the future, and future educational objectives for…

This article reviews recent large-scale epidemiological surveys of oral health in the United States, outlines risk factors for oral disease, and makes recommendations for future surveys. Discussion is limited to dental caries, periodontal diseases, tooth loss, edentulism, oral cancer, and orofacial clefts. (Author/MSE)

Reaffirming its leadership role toward better oral health for all Americans, the ADA has produced a white paper that also challenges policy-makers and the US to improve access to dental services. The white paper, "State and Community Models for Improving Access to Dental Care for the Underserved," was presented October 1 to the House of…

An Institute of Medicine study concerning dental education's future is summarized. Eight principles guiding the study are outlined, and findings/recommendations in each area (oral health status, dental education's mission, focus on health outcomes, research role, patient care, dental school's role in the university, accreditation, dental…

Current challenges in women's health in the United States are examined, and Public Health Service initiatives to address them are discussed. Regarding women's oral health, special attention in two areas is advised: (1) recruitment, retention, and career development of women in dental research and education; and (2) research on women's dental…

This study examined the status of dental education and oral health in the U.S.; considered future scientific, demographic, economic, organizational, and other developments that may affect oral health status and the system for educating dentists and other dental personnel; developed a statement of how, over the next 25 years, oral health and oral…