Setting global goals for oral health for the year 2010.
OBJECTIVE
To discuss the determinants for the possible setting of global goals for oral health for the year 2010.


CONCLUSIONS
If the application of oral health goals is to measure the outcome of oral health strategies and plans, they need to be substantially redesigned to reflect disparities in oral health and access to oral health care. It is no longer acceptable to focus only upon one or two arbitrarily selected disease entities and say these reflect the oral well-being of communities and the success (or failure) of oral health programmes. The use of validated socio-dental indicators to assess prevalence of socio-dental impacts seems essential, as does the avoidance of goals for conditions that are strongly influenced by culture, class, ethnicity and other widely variable local influences.
UT-Houston Dental Branch, 6516 John Freeman Avenue, Suite 212, P O Box 20068, Houston, Texas 77225-0068, USA.
M H
MH
Hobdell
N G
NG
Myburgh
M
M
Kelman
H
H
Hausen
D004990:Ethics, Dental; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D009909:Oral Health / Q000592:standards*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D012953:Societies, Dental; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014944:World Health Organization