Dentistry and health policy

Views expressed from several quarters of the health care system suggest that a reexamination of health policy concerning how health care is organized is likely in the next few years. The last time that a reorganization of health care occurred in the United States, dentistry was not included in a major component (Medicare). A review of the profession's stand at that time, and changes in demography of the elderly population since then, suggests that the position of the profession arrived at in the 1960's needs to be reexamined. The time to discuss what the position of dentistry should be in a new policy debate is now. Alternative approaches responding to economic considerations in the oral health care of the elderly are presented to stimulate discussion about the role of dentistry in health advocacy, both for the elderly and the population at large.