Changing image of dental practice

Health planners considering the future delivery of oral health care for ealth planners considering the future delivery of oral health care for the public must include a re-evaluation of their traditional image of the dental practice setting. Issues reviewed are: the decreasing dentist-to-population ratios, increasing numbers of part-time practitioners, marked growth in the size of dental establishments (including "dental spas"), anticipated continuing limitation of governmental financial support despite the ongoing needs of the poor and minority populations, growing numbers of adult individuals with special health care needs who have "aged out" of Medicaid dental coverage, as well as the increasing demand for dental services by the greater numbers of older populations, most of whom lack adequate dental insurance.