Prosthodontics--Past, present, and future

1. The geographic areas served by licensed dental mechanics will increase in number and size in the future. 2. There will be increasing difficulties in supplying dental graduates of a high caliber from our faculties of dentistry to serve adequately in the field of prosthodontics. 3. More graduate (postdoctoral) programs will be needed to train dentists to treat difficult prosthetic patients. The need for prosthetic services is still with us and will continue to grow. Only with progressive thought and aggressive action can organized prosthodontics go forward to meet its challenges. A battle is not won on defense alone, for such has been the game plan to date. Currently, dentists have a reasonable way to deliver an important health service to the population at large. However, only with a rapid advancement in the concept of delivery of total prosthodontic care can the best interests of the public be maintained. Finally, the highest standards of practice and ethics must be the guiding principles to any future changes in the delivery of prosthodontic services to the public.