title: Primary care providers and practice locations: examining the relationships.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The authors conducted a study in which they explored the geographical distributions of primary care dentists, physicians and pharmacists to determine if a spatial pattern existed between provider types across cities in Iowa.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors analyzed practice locations of primary care providers, including dentists, pharmacists and physicians, at the city and county levels in Iowa for 2000 and 2010. They categorized cities on the basis of types of primary care providers in each city and compared population characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among cities with primary care providers of any type, the most common scenario was for all three provider types to be found together. Several cities that had at least one physician and pharmacist but no dentist in 2000 gained one by 2010.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There appears to be a heterarchy of primary care providers in Iowa cities, with pharmacists more prevalent than physicians and dentists.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Communities with at least one physician and pharmacist but no dentist may be able to offer new or relocating dentists a competitive opportunity for practice.
authors.affiliation: Oral Science, College of Dentistry and Public Policy Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242-1010, USA. susan-mckernan@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Susan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: McKernan
authors.forename: Raymond A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kuthy
authors.forename: Adweta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joshi
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D005792:General Practice, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011365:Professional Practice Location / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000078329:Workforce