Estimating the Number of Dentists Needed in 2040.

Numerous factors that underlie the need for dentists are undergoing significant changes. Three factors are especially important: 1) improvements in oral health; 2) lower expenditures per patient per year, giving dentists the incentive to treat more patients to maintain incomes that justify their investment in dental education and practice; and 3) dental schools' producing new dentists at a faster rate than the growth in the population. If these trends continue, there is likely to be a dentist surplus of between 32% and 110% by 2040.

The Impact of Improved Oral Health on the Utilization of Dental Services.

Since the mid-20th century, there has been a remarkable decline in dental caries in the United States. The effects of that caries decline have now been demonstrated well into the adult population. These improvements in oral health are resulting in substantial declines in the reparative and restorative dental services being provided to the affected individuals, who comprise a growing part of the population.

Trends in dental treatment, 1992 to 2007.

Background: Reductions in U.S. dental caries levels have been noted since the 1970s.

Oral contraceptives and periodontal diseases: rethinking the association based upon analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.

Background: Historic evidence suggests that use of high-dose combined oral contraceptives (OCs) (containing >50 microg of estrogen and>or=1mg progestin) places women at increased risk for periodontal diseases. Since the mid-1970s, OC formulations have dramatically changed. This study investigated the association between OC use and periodontal diseases among 4,930 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I and 5,001 NHANES III premenopausal U.

Using insurance claims and demographic data for surveillance of children's oral health.

Objectives: This paper examines the utility of using private insurance and Medicaid dental claims as well as demographic data for assessing the oral health of children aged 5-12 years in Genesee County, Michigan, communities.

Methods: Dental insurance claims data from Delta Plan of Michigan and Michigan Medicaid, plus demographic data from the 1990 US Census (percent poverty) and from the 1995 National Center for Educational Statistics (percent free or reduced lunch eligibility), were compared to findings from two school-based oral health surveys. These surveys were the 1995 Genesee County Oral Health Survey and the 1998-2001 Mott Children's Health Center oral health screenings.

Radiographic detection of approximal caries: a comparison between senior dental students and senior dental hygiene students.

Purpose: Dental hygienists do not legally (or definitively) diagnose caries, but they often are responsible for preliminary interpretation of bitewing (BW) radiographs taken during prophylaxis appointments. Given this custom of practice, it is important to understand whether there is a difference between the capabilities of dental hygienists and dentists in interpreting BWs based on education and clinical experience. This study compared proximal carious lesion classification from BWs by senior dental students and senior dental hygiene students.

Michigan Medicaid's Healthy Kids Dental program: an assessment of the first 12 months.

Background: In 2000, Michigan's Medicaid dental program initiated Healthy Kids Dental, or HKD, a demonstration program offering dental coverage to Medicaid-enrolled children in selected counties. The program was administered through a private dental carrier at private reimbursement levels. The authors undertook a study to determine the effect of these changes.