This issue of Dental Clinics of North America points the dental profession in the direction of greater coordination with the health care system for chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, obesity, and by promoting smoking cessation and a healthy lifestyle.

Six dental schools have closed in the last decade and others are in jeopardy. Facing this uncertainty about the status of dental education and the continued tension between educators and practitioners, leaders in the profession have recognized the need for purpose and direction. This comprehensive volumeâ€"the first to cover the education, research, and patient care missions of dental schoolsâ€"offers specific recommendations on oral health assessment, access to dental care, dental school curricula, financing for education, research priorities, examinations and licensing, workforce planning, and other key areas. Well organized and accessible, the book: Recaps the evolution of dental practice and education. Reviews key indicators of oral health status, outlines oral health goals, and discusses implications for education. Addresses major curriculum concerns. Examines health services that dental schools provide to patients and communities. Looks at faculty and student involvement in research. Explores the relationship of dental education to the university, the dental profession, and society at large. Accreditation, the dental workforce, and other critical policy issues are highlighted as well. Of greatest interest to deans, faculty, administrators, and students at dental schools, as well as to academic health centers and universities, this book also will be informative for health policymakers, dental professionals, and dental researchers.

Access to oral health services is a problem for all segments of the U.S. population, and especially problematic for vulnerable populations, such as rural and underserved populations. The many challenges to improving access to oral health services include the lack of coordination and integration among the oral health, public health, and medical health care systems; misaligned payment and education systems that focus on the treatment of dental disease rather than prevention; the lack of a robust evidence base for many dental procedures and workforce models; and regulatory barriers that prevent the exploration of alternative models of care. This volume, the summary of a three-day workshop, evaluates the sufficiency of the U.S. oral health workforce to consider three key questions: What is the current status of access to oral health services for the U.S. population? What workforce strategies hold promise to improve access to oral health services? How can policy makers, state and federal governments, and oral health care providers and practitioners improve the regulations and structure of the oral health care system to improve access to oral health services?

Access to oral health care is essential to promoting and maintaining overall health and well-being, yet only half of the population visits a dentist each year. Poor and minority children are less likely to have access to oral health care than are their nonpoor and nonminority peers. Older adults, people who live in rural areas, and disabled individuals, uniformly confront access barriers, regardless of their financial resources. The consequences of these disparities in access to oral health care can lead to a number of conditions including malnutrition, childhood speech problems, infections, diabetes, heart disease, and premature births. Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations examines the scope and consequences of inadequate access to oral health services in the United States and recommends ways to combat the economic, structural, geographic, and cultural factors that prevent access to regular, quality care. The report suggests changing funding and reimbursement for dental care; expanding the oral health work force by training doctors, nurses, and other nondental professionals to recognize risk for oral diseases; and revamping regulatory, educational, and administrative practices. It also recommends changes to incorporate oral health care into overall health care. These recommendations support the creation of a diverse workforce that is competent, compensated, and authorized to serve vulnerable and underserved populations across the life cycle. The recommendations provided in Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations will help direct the efforts of federal, state, and local government agencies; policy makers; health professionals in all fields; private and public health organizations; licensing and accreditation bodies; educational institutions; health care researchers; and philanthropic and advocacy organizations.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Health Literacy focuses on bringing together leaders from the federal government, foundations, health plans, associations, and private companies to address challenges facing health literacy practice and research and to identify approaches to promote health literacy in both the public and private sectors. The roundtable serves to educate the public, press, and policy makers regarding the issues of health literacy, sponsoring workshops to discuss approaches to resolve health literacy challenges. It also builds partnerships to move the field of health literacy forward by translating research findings into practical strategies for implementation. The Roundtable held a workshop March 29, 2012, to explore the field of oral health literacy. The workshop was organized by an independent planning committee in accordance with the procedures of the National Academy of Sciences. The planning group was composed of Sharon Barrett, Benard P. Dreyer, Alice M. Horowitz, Clarence Pearson, and Rima Rudd. The role of the workshop planning committee was limited to planning the workshop. Unlike a consensus committee report, a workshop summary may not contain conclusions and recommendations, except as expressed by and attributed to individual presenters and participants. Therefore, the summary has been prepared by the workshop rapporteur as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop.

This book is an easy-to-use guide to all aspects of infection control and decontamination that will support the implementation of effective measures for risk reduction in dental practice. Among the topics addressed are the principles and practicalities of cleaning and sterilizing dental instruments, the role of personal protective equipment, the design and use of decontamination rooms, choice of dental equipment, environmental disinfection, and considerations relating to dental unit water lines. In addition, readers will find an informative and helpful section on the background history and basic science of infection control within dentistry. Infection Control in Primary Dental Care will be very useful for all members of the dental team, including dentists, dental nurses or assistants, dental hygienists, and therapists. The book is illustrated with photographs, diagrams, and tables to aid understanding and encourage good practice. The authors have a background in microbiology and dental practice and have extensive experience of providing advice and guidance to professional colleagues on infection control procedures.

THE UPDATED DEFINITIVE REFERENCE ON MEDICAL AND DENTAL OFFICE DESIGN Medical and Dental Space Planning is an indispensable guide to the myriad of details that make a medical or dental practice efficient and productive. The unique needs of more than thirty specialties, as well as primary care, are explained in the context of new technology and the many regulatory and compliance issues influencing design. Concepts are also presented for ambulatory surgical centers, diagnostic imaging, clinical laboratories, breast care clinics, endoscopy centers, community health centers, radiation oncology, and single-specialty and multispecialty group practices and clinics. A thorough review of the latest dental technology and many creative space plans and design ideas for each dental specialty will be of interest to both dentists and design professionals. Important topics like infection control are top of mind, influencing every aspect of dental office design. An "inside look" at what goes on in each specialist's office will familiarize readers with medical and dental procedures, how they are executed, and the types of equipment used. Technology has radically impacted medical and dental practice: digital radiography, electronic health records, mobile health devices, point-of-care diagnostic testing, digital diagnostic instrumentation, CAD/CAM systems for digital dental impressions and milling of restorations in the dentist's office, portable handheld X-ray, and 3D cone beam computed tomography for dentists all have major implications for facility design. The influence of the Affordable Care Act is transforming primary care from volume-based to value-based, which has an impact on the design of facilities, resulting in team collaboration spaces, larger consultative examination/assessment rooms, and accommodation for multidisciplinary practitioners who proactively manage patient care, often in a patient-centered medical home context. The wealth of information in this book is organized to make it easy to use and practical. Program tables accompany each medical and dental specialty to help the designer compute the number and sizes of required rooms and total square footage for each practice. This handy reference can be used during interviews for a "reality check" on a client's program or during space planning. Other features, for example, help untangle the web of compliance and code issues governing office-based surgery. Illustrated with more than 600 photographs and drawings, Medical and Dental Space Planning is an essential tool for interior designers and architects as well as dentists, physicians, and practice management consultants.

This is the first book to bring together the key disciplines of restorative dentistry such as periodontics, endodontics, and crown and bridgework in a structured way for the senior undergraduate dental student. The book is primarily aimed at the final year undergraduate student who has to present a patient that they have treated for a reasonable amount of time, and by doing so demonstrate a broad range of treatment provision. The key to a successful presentation case is the planning of the treatment at the beginning. There are certain key elements that students must take into account at that stage, for example, collecting all the relevant information about the case. This book provides all the necessary information that the dental student will need when preparing a final case presentation, taking a step-by-step approach to treatment planning illustrated by case histories, colour photographs and radiographs of patients. Every case has several options in terms of the treatment plan which need to be discussed with the patient in advance so that informed consent is gained and the patient is happy to proceed. The book presents the process of forming the possible options and the illustrated cases show the path taken in different scenarios. ALSO PUBLISHED BY OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Tyldesley's Oral Medicine, Fifth Edition, Anne Field and Lesley Longman Pickard's Manual of Operative Dentistry, Eighth Edition, Edwina Kidd, Bernard Smith and Tim Watson

This issue of Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, guest edited by Drs. Vincent Morelli, Roger Zoorob, and Joel J. Heidelbaugh, is devoted to Primary Care of the Medically Underserved. This outstanding issue includes the following articles: Primary Care Issues in Rural Populations; Primary Care Issues in Inner City America and Internationally; Medical Care for Undocumented Immigrants: National and International Issues; Pediatric and Adolescent Issues in Underserved Populations; Women's Health issues in Underserved Populations; Geriatric Care Issues: American and International Perspectives; Medical Care of the Homeless: An American and International Issue; Cardiovascular Issues in the Underserved; Occupational Health and Sleep Issues in Underserved Populations; Infectious Diseases Issues in Underserved Populations; Cancer in the Underserved; Psychological Issues in Underserved Populations; Substance Abuse Issues Amongst the Underserved: American and International Perspectives; Diet and Obesity Issues in the Underserved; Exercise/Sports Medicine Issues in Underserved Populations; A Global Perspective on Climate Change and Health in Underserved Populations; and International Comparisons in Underserved Health: Issues, Policies, Needs and Projections.

Community Oral Health Practice for the Dental Hygienist, 4th Edition, helps you acquire the skills to improve the oral health of people throughout various communities and build a successful career in the public health sector. Now in full color, this edition contains key updates on Healthy People 2020, the Affordable Care Act, health literacy, access to care, and more. Test-taking strategies, cases, and application exercises, as well as practice quizzes online, provide a wealth of opportunities for classroom and board exam preparation. Comprehensive, cutting-edge content delivers everything you need to know to succeed in community dental hygiene practice. Trusted editor Christine Beatty draws on decades of teaching, practicing, and writing on community oral health to make this complex content approachable for those new to public health. Chapter on test-taking strategies helps you confidently prepare for the community oral health portion of the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). Expanded Community cases on the companion Evolve website test your ability to apply your knowledge to common scenarios you may encounter as a dental hygienist. Up-to-date information on national initiatives such as Healthy People 2020 and the Surgeon General’s report details the goals and guidelines of various government programs. Dental hygienist mini-profiles provide real-world perspectives to help you prepare for a career in public health. Applying Your Knowledge sections suggest ways your can begin improving oral health in your community. Guiding principles, learning objectives, vocabulary terms, and chapter summaries help you study more efficiently. NEW! Content updates include Healthy People 2020 ,health literacy, teledentistry, the Affordable Care Act, oral health workforce models, access to care, interprofessional practice, and more. NEW! Full-color design highlights key concepts within each chapter. NEW! Art program delivers more photos to help drive home key concepts.