Social, economic, and political forces in quality assurance

Licensure and accreditation, established primarily to protect the existing profession, have been incorrectly assumed to be effective agents for quality assurance. Although dentistry, being less institutionalized than medicine, has had less pressure for quality assurance, both increasing third party payment for care and sophistication of population have led to the development of assessment and assurance mechanisms. At present, these are used more for cost containment than quality assurance, but considerations for the protection of the oral health of the public are growing.