FUTURE OFDENTISTRY
dental caries to oral cancer, the health of poor peo-
ple, members of minorities, children in poverty, and
the elderly remains at greater risk than need be. The
Surgeon General's report on oral health calls for a
national effort to improve oral health among all
Americans (U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, 2000). Inequalities in oral health are
observed in the United Kingdom as well (Watt and
Fuller, 1999). Reducing these disparities in the
United States, the U.K., and elsewhere requires
increased collaborative efforts and resources devot-
ed to health promotion. The Dental Health
Foundation of Ireland, the British Society for
Community Dentistry, and the European Associa-
tion for Dental Public Health hosted an Oral Health
Promotion Forum in September 2000 to share infor-
mation on the evidence-base for best practices in
this field. The FDI constituted a Special Committee
of Council to address the same subject, and the
momentum continues to build to "enable individu-
als and communities to increase control over the
determinants of health to thereby improve their
health.. ." (Green and Krueter, 1991). Defining the
meaning of health promotion to distinguish it from
health education (the latter term refers to specific
learning aimed at producing a health related goal
[Green and Krueter, 1991]) is the substance of cur-
rent trends in the oral health promotion area.
Health promotion comprises health education as
well as related organizational, economic, and envi-
ronmental supports conducive to health (Green and
Krueter, 1991). The trend is clear:uResearch on oral health promotion strategies
require global collaboration; and,u Public-private partnerships to develop sound
goals and strategies for oral health promotion
are developing on a global basis and may provide
opportunities to share and to learn from the suc-
cesses elsewhere.Global Oral HealthIII. PATHWAYS AND STRATEGIES FOR GLOBAL ORAL HEALTH IN THE FUTURE
The vision for dentistry throughout the world is
that the dental profession internationally will
increase its commitment to and involvement in glob-
al oral health practice and promotion. During the
past 20 years, people have been increasingly inter-
ested in thinking globally and looking globally for
ways to innovate and partner. Distance and lan-
guage are no longer impediments to collaborations
thanks to the Internet, cellular capacity for trans-
mission of information, and increased travel.
Microbes have never known geographic boundaries
and today they are even more apt to travel around
the world in hours, posing challenges to populations
who in the past would never have been exposed.
The future of dentistry and oral health demands the
professional leadership think and act globally.
Dentistry in the United States must be fully
involved in international organizations and activi-
ties for research, education, clinical practice, prod-
uct development and distribution, and health pro-
motion. This involvement requires a commitment
to learning from other countries and cultures and
creates a mandate for leadership with sensitivity.
The United States will benefit from dentistry's
global involvement. As the demographics of the
country continue to change and reflect multiple cul-
tures from around the world, answers to many of
the disease management, disease prevention, and
health promotion questions will be found through
collaborations with other countries. Collaborative
networks must be established to facilitate funding
and to implement activities related to research, edu-
cation, and practice. Also, the emergence of com-
mon markets increases the need and the opportuni-
ty to develop common standards for product devel-
opment, approval, and distribution.
The profession and its leadership must develop a
"global vision"––one fitting the 21st century.
Dentistry in the United States cannot be separated
from the rest of the world any more than the United
States can be separated from the global community.
Organized dentistry must provide that essential
leadership in international health, for its own sake
as a responsible member of the global community.
A global oral health strategy is needed to guide
professional leadership toward greater international
involvement. This goal will best be realized through
an organizational structure that has, as its mission,
the functions of promotion, coordination, and facil-
itation of international activities, including profes-
sional education, research, oral health care delivery,
public education, and health promotion. The glob-