JDE
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Dent Educ. 70(11): 1166-1169 2006
© 2006 American Dental Education Association
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Garetto, L. P.
Right arrow Articles by Yoder, K. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Garetto, L. P.
Right arrow Articles by Yoder, K. M.

Professional Promises: Hopes and Gaps in Access to Oral Health Care

Basic Oral Health Needs: A Professional Priority?

Lawrence P. Garetto, Ph.D., F.A.C.D.; Karen M. Yoder, Ph.D.

Key words: health care access, underserved patients, ethics, professional responsibility, professional attitudes

The inadequacy of access to oral health care is a complex problem facing society. Many in society who need care are unable to obtain it or do not seek it for a variety of reasons. Most commonly, these are the unfunded, who simply have inadequate resources; the "unaccepted," who may not have dental coverage or have types of coverage that are not accepted by private practitioners; the inaccessible, who may be homebound or live in sparsely populated or low-income geographic areas without dental providers; the unconvinced, who may have resources but do not believe in or recognize the need for treatment; and the unmotivated, who may realize that they need care but for them it is not a priority. While the oral health care professions cannot be expected to shoulder the entire burden to "fix" inadequate access to care, we believe that they have important responsibilities. True professions have a unique relationship with society that places them in positions of trust. With this trust comes the responsibility for public policy advocacy and to actively participate in identifying realistic ways to reduce the access problem. The leadership of organized dentistry, as well as educational institutions, and practitioners themselves must be committed to improving access and thereby the health of those currently underserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Dent EducHome page
S. Dharamsi, D. D. Pratt, and M. I. MacEntee
How Dentists Account for Social Responsibility: Economic Imperatives and Professional Obligations
J Dent Educ., December 1, 2007; 71(12): 1583 - 1592.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2006 by the American Dental Education Association.