Holt R D
Department of Transcultural Oral Health, Eastman Dental Institute, London.
Prim Dent Care. 2001 Jul;8(3):99-102. doi: 10.1308/135576101322561903.
Dental public health has been defined as 'the science and art of preventing oral diseases, promoting oral health and improving the quality of life through the organised efforts of society'. Dental practitioners most often have the oral health of individual patients as their primary focus but the aim of public health is to benefit populations. Early developments in dental public health were concerned largely with demonstrating levels of disease and with treatment services. With greater appreciation of the nature of oral health and disease, and of their determinants has come recognition of the need for wider public health action if the effects of prevention and oral health promotion are to be maximized.
牙科公共卫生被定义为“通过社会的有组织努力预防口腔疾病、促进口腔健康和提高生活质量的科学与艺术”。牙科从业者通常将个体患者的口腔健康作为首要关注点，但公共卫生的目标是使人群受益。牙科公共卫生的早期发展主要关注疾病水平的展示和治疗服务。随着对口腔健康和疾病本质及其决定因素的更深入理解，人们认识到，如果要最大限度地发挥预防和口腔健康促进的效果，就需要采取更广泛的公共卫生行动。
