Fraternity-Testvériség, 1960 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1960-08-01 / 8. szám
4 FRATERNITY DENTISTRY OF THE FUTURE What will a dental appointment be like in ten years? The public has some pleasant surprises in store, predicts the American Dental Association. The dental office of the not-too-distant future, as well as the treatment the equipment and even the status of the various dental diseases will be quite different from what we know today. Predictions on the future of dentistry in the United States have been especially plentiful this year, since 1959 was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Association. Observance of the centennial has served to give added significance to the profession’s past achievements, as well as its future challenges. Most people today think of the dentist as a man working in a rather small office, filling teeth, extracting them or constructing dentures. This mental picture already is beginning to fade in the mind of the public, and the Association feels a new picture will be in sharp focus by 1969. What actually is the major cause of lost teeth? “Tooth decay”, most people will answer. They are wrong. Periodontal disease, the disorders that attack the gums and other supporting tissues of the teeth, is the real villain. Despite this fact, the average dentist today spends about 40 per cent sf his time repairing the ravages of dental decay. In time, as the full effects of fluoridation and other preventive measures are felt, dental scientists predict that dental cares (tooth decay) will become less and less a problem. The dentist then will be able to concentrate his efforts on eradicating periodontal disease and other major dental disorders. What then can the next generation expect? This shift in emphasis from repair and rehabilitation to prevention will mean far fewer toothaches, fillings and extractions. It can mean a lower cost for the individual patient’s dental care. It can mean that permanent teeth really will be permanent, lasting a lifetime. And finally, it can mean that the mistaken notion, so commonly held today, that dental treatment must be associated with discomfort and pain, will vanish forever.
