Should dentists become 'oral physicians'? Yes, dentists should become 'oral physicians'.
In summary, a new designation for the dental profession is warranted, not because paramedical professionals have done it, but because the new designation is appropriate for what they are able to do. Moreover, it can be done now with little resistance or fanfare. As has been suggested by others, changing the name "dentist" to the name "oral physician" would result in several benefits: dentists' being recognized as providers of services such as tobacco-use cessation, oral cancer screenings, nutritional counseling and, most recently, as a major health care resource for dealing with bioterrorism; the public's visiting dental professionals for services other than traditional dental procedures; the profession's being more likely to teach and provide services outside of traditional dental procedures; third-party payers' being more likely to pay for services other than traditional dental procedures; the improvement in the public's oral health that would result from patients' visiting "oral physicians" for services other than traditional dental procedures.
Giddon
Donald B
DB
Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Mass 02115, USA. donald_giddon@hms.harvard.edu
D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003752:Dental Health Services; D003813:Dentistry / Q000639:trends; D003815:Dentists / Q000145:classification / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D009275:Names; D019242:Oral Medicine / Q000193:education / Q000639:trends; D024382:Professional Role; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms