title: How and why politics affect dentistry.
abstract: Dental practices are under scrutiny every day. The dynamics of the public, the media, the lawmakers, the regulators, and other special-interest groups create endless possibilities for influence over a practice and continue to challenge a dentist's ability to provide quality dental care to patients. This article describes examples of laws and regulations affecting dentistry and the impetus for them, whether real or perceived.
authors.affiliation: CDA Government Relations Office, 1201 K St., 15th Floor. cathymu@cda.org
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mudge
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D003255:Consumer Organizations; D006801:Humans; D007879:Legislation, Dental / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D011057:Politics; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*