MDS (Public Health Dentistry)

A public health dentist is a dental professional who works in the public sector, usually focusing their skills and expertise on population based dentistry instead of on treating an individual patient one at a time. The ultimate focus of a public health dentist is on improving the oral health of a group of people, usually within a community or state. By increasing the overall dental health levels in the population, a public health dentist can reduce the number of untreated tooth issues through a combination of treatment, education, and policy changes.

A public health dentist will handle a variety of tasks, and rarely treat patients on a one on one basis. Instead, they handle tasks like the following.

Examine current oral health trends and needs within a community to determine what areas need improvement, Develop new oral health policies that can improve dental health, Implement those policies and monitor them to ensure they have the right results an develop and provide programs and services that improve oral health issues. This could be free or reduced cost dental clinics, educational programs, or any number of other things.