Oral health concerns everyone. Almost everyone you know has had at least one oral disease, such as gum
disease, infection or cancer at some point in his or her life.
Dental public health is the science of preventing and controlling oral diseases and promoting oral health through organized community efforts. The field of dental public health primarily focuses on the community rather than the individual.
Dental public health professionals work to promote oral health through education; research; dental epidemiology (prevention and control of a dental disease); policy, program, and service development and implementation. Dental public health professionals work with a variety of public and private professionals to create and implement oral health programs.
For example, professionals in public health dentistry might work to ensure adequate fluoridation of a community’s water supply, develop a dental program for low-income or vulnerable populations such as the homeless and people with HIV , or educate children on the importance of proper dental care.
