title: Understanding the adolescent patient: the gateway to oral health promotion.
abstract: Although the adolescent years may be difficult emotionally and contributory to a variety of risk-taking behaviors, this period of progressive transformation of the child into an adult also offers a unique gateway for dental practitioners to promote the development of positive health behaviors as the foundational basis for the future oral and general health and well-being of our current adolescent dental patients.
authors.affiliation: School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. dnr4@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Dennis N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Ranalli
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Studen-Pavlovic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology