Setting global goals for oral health for the year 2010

Abstract

Objective: To discuss the determinants for the possible setting of global goals for oral health for the year 2010. Results and 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. © 2000 FDI/World Dental Press.