Services designed to promote, maintain, or restore dental health.

A systematic collection of factual data pertaining to dental or oral health and disease in a human population within a given geographic area.

The total of dental diagnostic, preventive, and restorative services provided to meet the needs of a patient (from Illustrated Dictionary of Dentistry, 1982).

Education which increases the awareness and favorably influences the attitudes and knowledge relating to the improvement of dental health on a personal or community basis.

The optimal state of the mouth and normal functioning of the organs of the mouth without evidence of disease.

Localized destruction of the tooth surface initiated by decalcification of the enamel followed by enzymatic lysis of organic structures and leading to cavity formation. If left unchecked, the cavity may penetrate the enamel and dentin and reach the pulp.

Services for the diagnosis and treatment of disease and the maintenance of health.

The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportational, and financial considerations, among others.

Organized services to provide mental health care.

Health services required by a population or community as well as the health services that the population or community is able and willing to pay for.

The giving of attention to the special dental needs of children, including the prevention of tooth diseases and instruction in dental hygiene and dental health. The dental care may include the services provided by dental specialists.

The practice of personal hygiene of the mouth. It includes the maintenance of oral cleanliness, tissue tone, and general preservation of oral health.

Educational institutions for individuals specializing in the field of dentistry.

Use for articles concerning dental education in general.

The integration of epidemiologic, sociological, economic, and other analytic sciences in the study of health services. Health services research is usually concerned with relationships between need, demand, supply, use, and outcome of health services. The aim of the research is evaluation, particularly in terms of structure, process, output, and outcome. (From Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed)

Individuals enrolled a school of dentistry or a formal educational program in leading to a degree in dentistry.

The level of health of the individual, group, or population as subjectively assessed by the individual or by more objective measures.

Insurance providing coverage for dental care.

The branch of dentistry concerned with the prevention of disease and the maintenance and promotion of oral health.

The concept concerned with all aspects of providing and distributing health services to a patient population.

Abnormal fear or dread of visiting the dentist for preventive care or therapy and unwarranted anxiety over dental procedures.

Personnel whose work is prescribed and supervised by the dentist.

Dental care for patients with chronic diseases. These diseases include chronic cardiovascular, endocrinologic, hematologic, immunologic, neoplastic, and renal diseases. The concept does not include dental care for the mentally or physically disabled which is DENTAL CARE FOR DISABLED.

"Decayed, missing and filled teeth," a routinely used statistical concept in dentistry.

Facilities where dental care is provided to patients.

Branch of medicine concerned with the prevention and control of disease and disability, and the promotion of physical and mental health of the population on the international, national, state, or municipal level.

Individuals licensed to practice DENTISTRY.

Personnel who provide dental service to patients in an organized facility, institution or agency.

Individuals who assist the dentist or the dental hygienist.

Persons trained in an accredited school or dental college and licensed by the state in which they reside to provide dental prophylaxis under the direction of a licensed dentist.

Skills, techniques, standards, and principles used to improve the art and symmetry of the teeth and face to improve the appearance as well as the function of the teeth, mouth, and face. (From Boucher's Clinical Dental Terminology, 4th ed, p108)

Diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive health services provided for individuals in the community.

Health care services related to human REPRODUCTION and diseases of the reproductive system. Services are provided to both sexes and usually by physicians in the medical or the surgical specialties such as REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE; ANDROLOGY; GYNECOLOGY; OBSTETRICS; and PERINATOLOGY.

Hospital department providing dental care.

Organized services to provide health care for children.

Health services, public or private, in rural areas. The services include the promotion of health and the delivery of health care.

Planning for needed health and/or welfare services and facilities.

Decisions, usually developed by government policymakers, for determining present and future objectives pertaining to the health care system.

Innovation and improvement of the health care system by reappraisal, amendment of services, and removal of faults and abuses in providing and distributing health services to patients. It includes a re-alignment of health services and health insurance to maximum demographic elements (the unemployed, indigent, uninsured, elderly, inner cities, rural areas) with reference to coverage, hospitalization, pricing and cost containment, insurers' and employers' costs, pre-existing medical conditions, prescribed drugs, equipment, and services.

Public attitudes toward health, disease, and the medical care system.

Health care provided to specific cultural or tribal peoples which incorporates local customs, beliefs, and taboos.

Statistical measures of utilization and other aspects of the provision of health care services including hospitalization and ambulatory care.

A film that attaches to teeth, often causing DENTAL CARIES and GINGIVITIS. It is composed of MUCINS, secreted from salivary glands, and microorganisms.

Organized services to provide health care to expectant and nursing mothers.

Diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive mental health services provided for individuals in the community.

General or unspecified diseases of the stomatognathic system, comprising the mouth, teeth, jaws, and pharynx.

Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192)

Encouraging consumer behaviors most likely to optimize health potentials (physical and psychosocial) through health information, preventive programs, and access to medical care.

The levels of excellence which characterize the health service or health care provided based on accepted standards of quality.

A systematic collection of factual data pertaining to health and disease in a human population within a given geographic area.

Organized services to provide health care to adolescents, ages ranging from 13 through 18 years.

Services designed for HEALTH PROMOTION and prevention of disease.

The seeking and acceptance by patients of health service.

Services for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the aged and the maintenance of health in the elderly.

Practice of adding fluoride to water for the purpose of preventing tooth decay and cavities.

The organization and administration of health services dedicated to the delivery of health care.

The state wherein the person is well adjusted.

Knowledge, attitudes, and associated behaviors which pertain to health-related topics such as PATHOLOGIC PROCESSES or diseases, their prevention, and treatment. This term refers to non-health workers and health workers (HEALTH PERSONNEL).

Health services for employees, usually provided by the employer at the place of work.

A richly vascularized and innervated connective tissue of mesodermal origin, contained in the central cavity of a tooth and delimited by the dentin, and having formative, nutritive, sensory, and protective functions. (Jablonski, Dictionary of Dentistry, 1992)

A dental health survey developed to evaluate a patient's orthodontic treatment need and priority for orthodontic care. The index is based on an assessment of degree of MALOCCLUSION and the potential aesthetic and dental health benefit of the treatment under consideration.

Pathological processes involving the PERIODONTIUM including the gum (GINGIVA), the alveolar bone (ALVEOLAR PROCESS), the DENTAL CEMENTUM, and the PERIODONTAL LIGAMENT.

A system of medical care regulated, controlled and financed by the government, in which the government assumes responsibility for the health needs of the population.

The teaching staff and members of the administrative staff having academic rank in a dental school.

Behaviors expressed by individuals to protect, maintain or promote their health status. For example, proper diet, and appropriate exercise are activities perceived to influence health status. Life style is closely associated with health behavior and factors influencing life style are socioeconomic, educational, and cultural.

Predetermined sets of questions used to collect data - clinical data, social status, occupational group, etc. The term is often applied to a self-completed survey instrument.

Social and economic factors that characterize the individual or group within the social structure.

A combination of the debris index and the dental calculus index to determine the status of oral hygiene.

Systematic identification of a population's needs or the assessment of individuals to determine the proper level of services needed.

Dental care for the emotionally, mentally, or physically disabled patient. It does not include dental care for the chronically ill ( = DENTAL CARE FOR CHRONICALLY ILL).

Insurance providing coverage of medical, surgical, or hospital care in general or for which there is no specific heading.

Providing for the full range of dental health services for diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and rehabilitation of patients.

Components of a national health care system which administer specific services, e.g., national health insurance.

The giving of attention to the special dental needs of the elderly for proper maintenance or treatment. The dental care may include the services provided by dental specialists.

Health care programs or services designed to assist individuals in the planning of family size. Various methods of CONTRACEPTION can be used to control the number and timing of childbirths.

The amounts spent by individuals, groups, nations, or private or public organizations for total health care and/or its various components. These amounts may or may not be equivalent to the actual costs (HEALTH CARE COSTS) and may or may not be shared among the patient, insurers, and/or employers.

Health services, public or private, in urban areas. The services include the promotion of health and the delivery of health care.

Management of public health organizations or agencies.

Organized services to provide health care to women. It excludes maternal care services for which MATERNAL HEALTH SERVICES is available.

Studies in which the presence or absence of disease or other health-related variables are determined in each member of the study population or in a representative sample at one particular time. This contrasts with LONGITUDINAL STUDIES which are followed over a period of time.

Such malposition and contact of the maxillary and mandibular teeth as to interfere with the highest efficiency during the excursive movements of the jaw that are essential for mastication. (Jablonski, Illustrated Dictionary of Dentistry, 1982)

Treatment for the prevention of periodontal diseases or other dental diseases by the cleaning of the teeth in the dental office using the procedures of DENTAL SCALING and DENTAL POLISHING. The treatment may include plaque detection, removal of supra- and subgingival plaque and calculus, application of caries-preventing agents, checking of restorations and prostheses and correcting overhanging margins and proximal contours of restorations, and checking for signs of food impaction.

A constituent organization of the DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES concerned with protecting and improving the health of the nation.

Men and women working in the provision of health services, whether as individual practitioners or employees of health institutions and programs, whether or not professionally trained, and whether or not subject to public regulation. (From A Discursive Dictionary of Health Care, 1976)

The state of the organism when it functions optimally without evidence of disease.

The profession concerned with the teeth, oral cavity, and associated structures, and the diagnosis and treatment of their diseases including prevention and the restoration of defective and missing tissue.

The act of cleaning teeth with a brush to remove plaque and prevent tooth decay. (From Webster, 3d ed)

A diet that contributes to the development and advancement of DENTAL CARIES.

Community health and NURSING SERVICES providing coordinated multiple services to the patient at the patient's homes. These home-care services are provided by a visiting nurse, home health agencies, HOSPITALS, or organized community groups using professional staff for care delivery. It differs from HOME NURSING which is provided by non-professionals.

Pain in the adjacent areas of the teeth.

A health care system which combines physicians, hospitals, and other medical services with a health plan to provide the complete spectrum of medical care for its customers. In a fully integrated system, the three key elements - physicians, hospital, and health plan membership - are in balance in terms of matching medical resources with the needs of purchasers and patients. (Coddington et al., Integrated Health Care: Reorganizing the Physician, Hospital and Health Plan Relationship, 1994, p7)

The study of laws, theories, and hypotheses through a systematic examination of pertinent facts and their interpretation in the field of dentistry. (From Jablonski, Illustrated Dictionary of Dentistry, 1982, p674)

The failure to retain teeth as a result of disease or injury.

The phase of orthodontics concerned with the correction of malocclusion with proper appliances and prevention of its sequelae (Jablonski's Illus. Dictionary of Dentistry).

Attitudes of personnel toward their patients, other professionals, toward the medical care system, etc.

The curve formed by the row of TEETH in their normal position in the JAW. The inferior dental arch is formed by the mandibular teeth, and the superior dental arch by the maxillary teeth.

A division of the UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE that is responsible for the public health and the provision of medical services to NATIVE AMERICANS in the United States, primarily those residing on reservation lands.

Planning for the equitable allocation, apportionment, or distribution of available health resources.

Education that increases the awareness and favorably influences the attitudes and knowledge relating to the improvement of health on a personal or community basis.

The concept pertaining to the health status of inhabitants of the world.

The practice of dentistry concerned with preventive as well as diagnostic and treatment programs in a circumscribed population.

The room or rooms in which the dentist and dental staff provide care. Offices include all rooms in the dentist's office suite.

Dentifrices that are formulated into a paste form. They typically contain abrasives, HUMECTANTS; DETERGENTS; FLAVORING AGENTS; and CARIOSTATIC AGENTS.

Nonspecialized dental practice which is concerned with providing primary and continuing dental care.

Preferentially rated health-related activities or functions to be used in establishing health planning goals. This may refer specifically to PL93-641.

Data collected during dental examination for the purpose of study, diagnosis, or treatment planning.

Total lack of teeth through disease or extraction.

A dental specialty concerned with the prevention of disease and the maintenance of oral health through promoting organized dental health programs at a community, state, or federal level.

Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function.

The inhabitants of rural areas or of small towns classified as rural.

True-false questionnaire made up of items believed to indicate anxiety, in which the subject answers verbally the statement that describes him.

A dental specialty concerned with the prevention and correction of dental and oral anomalies (malocclusion).

The nonexpendable items used by the dentist or dental staff in the performance of professional duties. (From Boucher's Clinical Dental Terminology, 4th ed, p106)

The status of health in rural populations.

Fluorides, usually in pastes or gels, used for topical application to reduce the incidence of DENTAL CARIES.

Planning for health resources at a regional or multi-state level.

Substances that inhibit or arrest DENTAL CARIES formation. (Boucher's Clinical Dental Terminology, 4th ed)

The activities and endeavors of the public health services in a community on any level.

The total number of cases of a given disease in a specified population at a designated time. It is differentiated from INCIDENCE, which refers to the number of new cases in the population at a given time.

An alloy used in restorative dentistry that contains mercury, silver, tin, copper, and possibly zinc.

Agents used to occlude dental enamel pits and fissures in the prevention of dental caries.

The branch of dentistry concerned with the dental problems of older people.

The promotion and maintenance of physical and mental health in the work environment.

A numerical rating scale for classifying the periodontal status of a person or population with a single figure which takes into consideration prevalence as well as severity of the condition. It is based upon probe measurement of periodontal pockets and on gingival tissue status.

Variation in rates of disease occurrence and disabilities between population groups defined by socioeconomic characteristics such as age, ethnicity, economic resources, or gender and populations identified geographically or similar measures.

The total absence of teeth from either the mandible or the maxilla, but not both. Total absence of teeth from both is MOUTH, EDENTULOUS. Partial absence of teeth in either is JAW, EDENTULOUS, PARTIALLY.

Research aimed at assessing the quality and effectiveness of health care as measured by the attainment of a specified end result or outcome. Measures include parameters such as improved health, lowered morbidity or mortality, and improvement of abnormal states (such as elevated blood pressure).

Conversations with an individual or individuals held in order to obtain information about their background and other personal biographical data, their attitudes and opinions, etc. It includes school admission or job interviews.

Economic sector concerned with the provision, distribution, and consumption of health care services and related products.

Activities and programs intended to assure or improve the quality of care in either a defined medical setting or a program. The concept includes the assessment or evaluation of the quality of care; identification of problems or shortcomings in the delivery of care; designing activities to overcome these deficiencies; and follow-up monitoring to ensure effectiveness of corrective steps.

Available manpower, facilities, revenue, equipment, and supplies to produce requisite health care and services.

Studies designed to assess the efficacy of programs. They may include the evaluation of cost-effectiveness, the extent to which objectives are met, or impact.

Educational programs designed to inform dentists of recent advances in their fields.

Statistical models which describe the relationship between a qualitative dependent variable (that is, one which can take only certain discrete values, such as the presence or absence of a disease) and an independent variable. A common application is in epidemiology for estimating an individual's risk (probability of a disease) as a function of a given risk factor.

Institutions which provide medical or health-related services.

Federal, state, or local government organized methods of financial assistance.

The availability of HEALTH PERSONNEL. It includes the demand and recruitment of both professional and allied health personnel, their present and future supply and distribution, and their assignment and utilization.

Outside services provided to an institution under a formal financial agreement.

A cabinet department in the Executive Branch of the United States Government concerned with administering those agencies and offices having programs pertaining to health and human services.

Differences in access to or availability of medical facilities and services.

Health care provided to individuals.

A range of methods used to reduce pain and anxiety during dental procedures.

Facilities which administer the delivery of health care services to people living in a community or neighborhood.

A geographic area defined and served by a health program or institution.

Biocompatible materials placed into (endosseous) or onto (subperiosteal) the jawbone to support a crown, bridge, or artificial tooth, or to stabilize a diseased tooth.

The status of health in urban populations.

A stratum of people with similar position and prestige; includes social stratification. Social class is measured by criteria such as education, occupation, and income.

Planning that has the goals of improving health, improving accessibility to health services, and promoting efficiency in the provision of services and resources on a comprehensive basis for a whole community. (From Facts on File Dictionary of Health Care Management, 1988, p299)

Preventive health services provided for students. It excludes college or university students.

Radiographic techniques used in dentistry.

The science of controlling or modifying those conditions, influences, or forces surrounding man which relate to promoting, establishing, and maintaining health.

The concept covering the physical and mental conditions of women.

Health services for college and university students usually provided by the educational institution.

Any type of research that employs nonnumeric information to explore individual or group characteristics, producing findings not arrived at by statistical procedures or other quantitative means. (Qualitative Inquiry: A Dictionary of Terms Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997)

Educational attainment or level of education of individuals.

A restoration designed to remain in service for not less than 20 to 30 years, usually made of gold casting, cohesive gold, or amalgam. (Jablonski, Dictionary of Dentistry, 1992)

Application of marketing principles and techniques to maximize the use of health care resources.

That distinct portion of the institutional, industrial, or economic structure of a country that is controlled or owned by non-governmental, private interests.

Educational programs for dental graduates entering a specialty. They include formal specialty training as well as academic work in the clinical and basic dental sciences, and may lead to board certification or an advanced dental degree.

The practice of sending a patient to another program or practitioner for services or advice which the referring source is not prepared to provide.

Societies whose membership is limited to dentists.

The area of a nation's economy that is tax-supported and under government control.

The principles of proper professional conduct concerning the rights and duties of the dentist, relations with patients and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the dentist in patient care and interpersonal relations with patient families. (From Stedman, 25th ed)

Presentation devices used for patient education and technique training in dentistry.

The degree to which the individual regards the health care service or product or the manner in which it is delivered by the provider as useful, effective, or beneficial.

The field of dentistry involved in procedures for designing and constructing dental appliances. It includes also the application of any technology to the field of dentistry.

Services specifically designed, staffed, and equipped for the emergency care of patients.

A specialized agency of the United Nations designed as a coordinating authority on international health work; its aim is to promote the attainment of the highest possible level of health by all peoples.

A situation in which the level of living of an individual, family, or group is below the standard of the community. It is often related to a specific income level.

Activities concerned with governmental policies, functions, etc.

An index which scores the degree of dental plaque accumulation.

Amounts charged to the patient as payer for dental services.

The granting of a license to practice dentistry.

A chronic endemic form of hypoplasia of the dental enamel caused by drinking water with a high fluorine content during the time of tooth formation, and characterized by defective calcification that gives a white chalky appearance to the enamel, which gradually undergoes brown discoloration. (Jablonski's Dictionary of Dentistry, 1992, p286)

Age as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or the effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from AGING, a physiological process, and TIME FACTORS which refers only to the passage of time.

The physical condition of human reproductive systems.

Facilities for the performance of services related to dental treatment but not done directly in the patient's mouth.

Degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.

Materials used in the production of dental bases, restorations, impressions, prostheses, etc.

The interactions between representatives of institutions, agencies, or organizations.

Various branches of dental practice limited to specialized areas.

The organization and operation of the business aspects of a dental practice.

Those actions designed to carry out recommendations pertaining to health plans or programs.

Maleness or femaleness as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from SEX CHARACTERISTICS, anatomical or physiological manifestations of sex, and from SEX DISTRIBUTION, the number of males and females in given circumstances.

A method of comparing the cost of a program with its expected benefits in dollars (or other currency). The benefit-to-cost ratio is a measure of total return expected per unit of money spent. This analysis generally excludes consideration of factors that are not measured ultimately in economic terms. Cost effectiveness compares alternative ways to achieve a specific set of results.

Inorganic salts of hydrofluoric acid, HF, in which the fluorine atom is in the -1 oxidation state. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Sodium and stannous salts are commonly used in dentifrices.

The process of formulating, improving, and expanding educational, managerial, or service-oriented work plans (excluding computer program development).

Absolute, comparative, or differential costs pertaining to services, institutions, resources, etc., or the analysis and study of these costs.

A geographic location which has insufficient health resources (manpower and/or facilities) to meet the medical needs of the resident population.

All organized methods of funding.

Facilities which administer the delivery of health care services to mothers and children.

Organized services for the purpose of providing diagnosis to promote and maintain health.

Individuals responsible for fabrication of dental appliances.

A medical specialty concerned with the provision of continuing, comprehensive primary health care for the entire family.

The purposes, missions, and goals of an individual organization or its units, established through administrative processes. It includes an organization's long-range plans and administrative philosophy.