Eklund Stephen A
Dr. Eklund is Professor Emeritus, School of Public Health and Adjunct Professor Emeritus, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan.
J Dent Educ. 2017 Aug;81(8):eS110-eS119. doi: 10.21815/JDE.017.017.
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. Because of fewer compromised teeth, extractions and their sequelae also are declining. Much of the recall and periodontal maintenance care can be provided by allied dental personnel. As the older age cohorts, who were children before the caries decline occurred, become an ever-smaller part of the population, the number of patients an individual dentist can treat in a year is likely to increase. This article was written as part of the project "Advancing Dental Education in the 21 Century."
自20世纪中叶以来，美国的龋齿发病率显著下降。目前已证实，这种龋齿发病率下降的影响已波及成年人群体。口腔健康状况的这些改善使得为受影响个体提供的修复性和补救性牙科服务大幅减少，而受影响个体在人口中所占比例日益增加。由于牙齿受损情况减少，拔牙及其后遗症也在减少。许多复诊和牙周维护护理工作可由牙科辅助人员提供。随着龋齿发病率下降之前还是儿童的老年人群体在人口中所占比例越来越小，个体牙医每年能够治疗的患者数量可能会增加。本文是“21世纪推进牙科教育”项目的一部分。
