Introduction to the principles of public health

Abstract

Public health is now recognized as being a core component of the undergraduate medical and dental curricula in many parts of the world (Association for Dental Education in Europe 2010; General Dental Council 2011; General Medical Council 2009). This recognition acknowledges that public health is an important subject relevant to the practice of medicine and dentistry. This chapter will outline what is meant by public health and, in particular, its relevance to clinical dental practice. The philosophical and historical background of public health will be reviewed and the limitations of the traditional system of health care highlighted. Finally, a dental public health framework will be outlined to highlight the central importance of public health to the future development of dentistry. Dental public health can be defined as the science and practice of preventing oral diseases, promoting oral health, and improving quality of life through the organized efforts of society. The science of dental public health is concerned with making a diagnosis of a population’s oral health problems, establishing the causes and effects of those problems, and planning effective interventions. The practice of dental public health is to create and use opportunities to implement effective solutions to population oral health and health care problems (Chappel et al. 1996). Dental public health is concerned with promoting the health of the population and therefore focuses action at a community level. This is in contrast to clinical practice which operates at an individual level. However, the different stages of clinical and public health practice are broadly similar. Dental public health is a broad subject that seeks to expand the focus and understanding of the dental profession on the range of factors that influence oral health and the most effective means of preventing and treating oral health problems. Dental public health is underpinned by a range of related disciplines and sciences that collectively enrich the value and relevance of the subject (Box 1.1) The practice of dentistry is undergoing a period of rapid change due to a wide range of factors in society ( Box 1.2 ).