Improving oral healthcare: towards measurement?
In the last 30 years oral healthcare is increasingly being contested. Needs and expectations have evolved to a point of advanced restorative techniques, long term planning for preventative care and evidence-based practice, and patients and payers increasingly require more explicit demonstration of competence. However, relevant data are currently not routinely collected that would support approaches needed to further improve oral health and care. This paper sets out the case to collect and evaluate routinely available data. Variations in care and oral health could be described, which in turn would provide valuable insights for all wishing to further improve oral health and care.
Department of Social Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3,004, 1081LA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Baâdoudi
Department of Social Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3,004, 1081LA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|School of Pharmacy, Keele University, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom.
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Maskrey
Department of Conservative Dentistry, Translational Health Economics Group, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69,120 Heidelberg, Germany.|Department of Quality and Safety of Oral Health Care, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525GD Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Listl
Department of Social Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3,004, 1081LA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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van der Heijden
Department of Social Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3,004, 1081LA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Duijster
D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003729:Dental Care; D006801:Humans; D009909:Oral Health; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care