Dental public health: concepts, history, levels of prevention
Public Health Dentistry · Dental (BDS)
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Interactive 3DPeel through enamel, dentin and pulp — then switch to implants, braces or dentures.
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Study notes
Why does public health fluoridate water instead of only filling cavities? Levels of prevention - water fluoridation is primary prevention (stops disease before it starts) reaching everyone, while fillings are secondary/tertiary (treating established disease) reaching one patient at a time. Students learn the population lens: the dentist treats mouths one by one; public health prevents disease in millions at once - the greatest dental health gains came from water, not drills.
Related topics
- Epidemiology of oral diseases: caries, periodontal disease, oral cancer
- Indices: DMFT/dmft, CPI, Dean's fluorosis index
- National oral health programs and policies
- School dental health programs, pit-and-fissure programs
- Water fluoridation and defluoridation
- Dental manpower: auxiliaries — hygienists, technicians