[Effects of the altering claims to treatment on the dentist's profession]

A genuine commitment to Health for All (HFA) in the European Region implies that there must be a new approach to health. It presupposes a change of emphasis in favour of health promotion and disease prevention, the appropriate use of resources, optimum management of health institutions, and a reorientation in the planning, training and utilization of health professionals. The well-known recent changes in oral disease patterns combined with the overall economical constraints in the health sector call for integrated, coordinated planning of preventive and treatment services for oral health, as well as for appropriate manpower production. The effect of these changes in the oral health status will force dentists to perform work previously left to the specialists, and for which their training is deficient, and others will shift to perform tasks for which their training and experience are inappropriate and excessive. However, experiences have shown that it is not enough just to change the dental curriculum. Educational goals of teaching objectives should also include a strong element of behavioural sciences aimed at motivating not only the students, but also the teachers, to develop a philosophy based on the premise that the ultimate goal of the dental profession is to be responsible for and to provide the highest possible level of oral health for each individual in the society.