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Information on Public Health Dentistry
by Contributing Writer
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Overview
Public health dentistry is concerned with the population's dental health.
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Public health dentistry is an aspect of the dental profession concerned with general improvements in the population's health, as opposed to focusing on individual dental problems. Public health dentists see opportunities to improve the rates of tooth decay in the general population and work toward creating awareness when it comes to preventative measures as well as coming up with new ways to improve dental health across the board.
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Education
Though there are no education requirements for joining groups interested in promoting public dental health, the American Board of Dental Public Health (ABDPH) promotes a specialty for those wishing to practice as a public health dentist. The requirements set forth by the ABDPH include the prerequisite of being a dentist, which includes a 4-year dental school and the accomplishment of a doctorate in either dental surgery or dental medicine. Beyond that, the ABDPH recommends public health dentists demonstrate public health values, leadership characteristics and subscribe to the Public Health Dentistry code of ethics.
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Goals
The goals of public health dentistry involve not only producing more research about what factors influence tooth decay and oral disease but to close the gap between the information gleaned in these studies and the public knowledge. This is evident in attempts to create community-oriented oral health programs and sealant programs that begin in the schools.
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AAPHD
The American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD) was founded in 1937 and is an open organization created with the purpose of furthering oral health. The AAPHD not only counts and welcomes members of the dental industry and scientific community but also citizens of the general public who want to help with projects and public education. The AAPHD has stated its mission as being one of prevention of tooth decay, promotion of health and expansion of public dental health knowledge.
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Flouridation
One of public health dentistry's accomplishments has been to introduce fluoridation into the public water system of many municipalities. Proponents, including the American Dental Association, claim adding fluoride to the water drastically cuts down on tooth decay. Critics argue that fluoridation is unnecessary and may even pose prohibitive health risks. Today, approximately 67 percent of the population in the United States has access to fluoridated water.
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Mouthwash
Another area of considerable controversy has been the debate over mouthwash. Public health dentistry made the case for many years that mouthwash should be a part of a daily dental cleaning routine, along with brushing and flossing; however, recent reports suggest that over-the-counter mouthwashes could be linked to oral cancer. A 2009 study published in the "Australian Dental Journal" released findings that alcohol-containing mouthwashes could lead to certain oral cancers and should be reclassified as prescription-only medications.
