Howard Speaks: Dental Public Health Specialists

Kudos and praise to all the Dental Public Health (PDH) specialists who were recognized as a speciality in 1950, focusing on improving dental health at the community level rather than the individual level with programs like Community Water Fluoridation, children’s dental health programs in schools, setting up coronavirus and HPV vaccination programs, and public health clinics, the PDH work is never completed. With unlimited demand and limited supply, finding ways to increase efficiency is key. A common problem in any healthcare delivery facility is patient cancellations and no shows. If you miss two appointments in a row you should have to pay a non refundable deposit to make another appointment which you lose if you don’t show. Vinegar that is free, is sweeter than honey. The proverb not to look a gift horse in the mouth is because the horse’s teeth are an indication of the horse’s health, but if the horse was a free gift it doesn’t matter since it cost you nothing. People always value something more if they paid for it and since oral health diseases are mostly preventable, our patients need to have skin in the game.