title: Standards.
abstract: We use standards to raise the general quality level and to identify and encourage those who lag behind. Standards agreed by professional organizations are the best. There are differences between licensure and certification in the mechanisms for creating standards, the level at which standards are set, how data are gathered, and the types of decisions they support. There is also a danger that standards can by hijacked for commercial purposes.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Chambers
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards; D003813:Dentistry / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008005:Licensure, Dental / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards; D012015:Reference Standards; D014481:United States