FUTURE OFDENTISTRY
premise that the biomedical approach to disease
cannot solve all health problems.
These initiatives spring from evolving models that
spotlight factors affecting human health: lifestyle
choices and personal skills, social and community
influences, living and working conditions, the organi-
zation and provision of health care services, socioeco-
nomic, cultural and environmental conditions.
In the United States, the national "Healthy People"
initiative has entered its third decade of emphasizing
health promotion and disease prevention. Oral
health objectives have been part of this effort (now
referred to as "Healthy People 2010) since 1979.
Those objectives include reducing the incidence of
oral disease across all population groups, promoting
disease prevention measures like fluorides and
sealants and improving the means of delivering care.
The emphasis is on promoting health, rather than
preventing disease––an approach expected to gain
momentum in the years ahead. Dentistry's record of
health promotion through private practice and com-
munity-based prevention programs positions it to
play a leading role in future public health initiatives.
Increasing Globalization...................................................................................................................
All the trends described thus far point to one
incontestable fact: health care is a global concern
that breaks down national boundaries. Microbes
can be transported around the world in a matter of
hours. Health care information can be transmitted
from one corner of the globe to another in seconds.
New and useful scientific findings and technologies
can arise anywhere in the world. Dentistry is a resi-
dent of that global community and a vital partici-
pant on the world stage.
Introduction