title: Beyond the operatory: from patients to population.
abstract: There is a shortage of dental public health specialists in the United States, and the number of dentists entering the field is declining. A number of disincentives and barriers to pursuing training and a career in dental public health have been identified. This article gives a personal account of one dentist's transition from private practice to public health dentistry.
authors.affiliation: Wilson, Jennings, Bloomfield, University of California Los Angeles Venice Dental Center, Division of Public Health and Community Dentistry, UCLA School of Dentistry, 90291, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D002321:Career Choice; D006801:Humans; D011636:Public Health Dentistry