Prosthodontics and the American College of Prosthodontists: a specialty's contribution to improving oral health care.

Prosthodontics is the specialty responsible for restoration of individual teeth and replacement of missing teeth and supporting structures, where education and experience have been focused on esthetics, comfort, and function. The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) has made commitments to strengthen the quality and scope of both undergraduate and postgraduate educational programs and to support prosthodontics educators. The ACP is especially involved in monitoring and evaluating emerging trends in diagnostic, product, and delivery technologies because of the rapid pace of such innovations and because these developments have significant potential for changing the way both general dentists and prosthodontists deliver prosthodontic care--the single largest segment of dental treatment.