increase in the number of patients handled by
dentists. Nevertheless, it should be real-
ized that the demand for dental services tends
to fluctuate with changes in economic
conditions. In any case, the national need for
dental care will not only be maintained,
but will probably be increased, thus suggesting
an attractive future for most prospective
members of the dental profession.
A note of caution is necessary, for in a recent
report on employment prospects for
dentists, the U.S. Department of Labor has said:
"employment prospects to grow about
as fast as average. . . . Increasingly abundant
supply of practitioners will make it more
difficult to start a practice. Competition for
patients is likely to be intense in some local-
ities, which could adversely affect
earnings."
TODAY'S TRENDS IN DENTISTRY
Over the past half century a gradual
reevaluation of both the philosophy and the practice
of dentistry has taken place. Whereas around
World War II it was estimated that half of
all Americans over 65 had lost all their teeth,
by the end of this century, this figure for
the same age group will have been reduced
dramatically. The reason for this is that there
has been a profound improvement in the oral
health of recent generations of Americans
caused by water fluoridation and the associated
change in the role of dentistry, from one
of treatment to one of prevention of tooth
decay and gum diseases.
In terms of dental practice, an arsenal of new
tools, techniques, drugs, and restora-
tive materials has been developed over the past
30 years. These have dramatically
expanded and improved the dentist's capacity
for providing care in all areas. Among
these developments are: (1) the high-speed air
drill that minimizes the pain, time, and
noise associated with drilling; (2) a variety
of materials, both metal and plastic, that can
now make up crowns and bridges; (3) plastic
sealants that can be applied as a coating
film over children's teeth to prevent
decay-causing bacteria from attacking them for up
to two years; (4) an alternative to bridges and
dentures whereby one or more teeth can
be set over metal implants inserted into the
jaw bone; (5) a new technique called bond-
ing in which a composite material that is
undetectable can be glued onto the tooth,
enabling chipped teeth to be repaired, spaces
between teeth to be filled, and worn-down
teeth to be restored, all with aesthetically
appealing results.
Advances have also been made in diagnostic
techniques, and research is continuing
with the focus on preventive dentistry. The
prospects for better oral health, therefore, are
much higher, provided that increasing numbers
of people practice good oral hygiene and
avail themselves regularly of competent dental
care.
Another major change that may be in the offing
is the way dental services will be
delivered. The traditional approach since the
development of modern dentistry has
been to have services provided by the
individual practitioner. During the last decade,
groups of specialists in a particular specialty
area have joined together to utilize a com-
mon facility on a rotation basis, thereby
cutting down significantly on operating
expenses. Thus group practices devoted
exclusively to endodontics, for example, have
developed.
Multipractitioner dental clinics, that is,
clinics that offer primarily general but also
specialty services, have sprung up in
department stores and shopping centers. Their
expansion from only a handful in 1978 has
primarily been stimulated by legal decisions
allowing dentists to advertise. Other
contributing factors are the high cost of quality
dental care at private offices and the unequal
distribution of dentists in some areas.
In 1979 about 125 million Americans spent more
than $13 billion for dental treat-
ment, 90% of which was provided by individual
practitioners. It is certain that the trend
is away from private care and toward
multipractitioner clinics. This will have enormous
implications both for patients and for dentists
already in practice and those planning
careers in dentistry. The new approach to
dental care delivery holds the promise of
offering less expensive and more convenient
care.
User Comments Add a comment…