[Efficiency and quality]

The National Dental Congress 1991, held on March 8 and 9 in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, was dedicated to the theme 'Efficiency and quality'. Both quality and efficiency are important starting-points for the health care policy in the nineties. The aim of the congress was to present an overview of the development in knowledge in different areas of dental science, in order to promote the provision of efficient and qualitatively justified dental care. The present article discusses the meaning of quality, the way in which a policy for quality assurance is developed, and the significance of efficiency for striving for quality in dental practice.