Differences between the medical and dental health care sectors

The majority of economic research on the health care system has focused on the medical sector to the near exclusion of other components, such as the dental sector. Based on the size, scope, and costs associated with the medical sector, this is understandable. However, this health research focus has often resulted in the casual and perhaps inappropriate generalization of medical findings to the dental sector. The purpose of this paper is to identify and review some of the differences between the profession and practice of dentistry and that of medicine. Differences discussed are those that exist in the respective education systems, work forces, delivery systems, disease entities, patients' perceptions of medical and dental needs, and the financing of services demanded. Researchers and policy leaders alike are urged to weight the significance of these differences as they consider the applicability of medical sector findings to dentistry.