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. 2025 Aug;239(4):245-248.
doi: 10.1038/s41415-025-9051-2. Epub 2025 Aug 22.

The elephant in the room: addressing systemic inequalities in dental healthcare

Wayne Richards  1 , Dilini Ratnayake  2 , Anne-Marie Coll  3 , Teresa Filipponi  3 , Jamal Ameen  3
Affiliations

The elephant in the room: addressing systemic inequalities in dental healthcare

Wayne Richards et al. Br Dent J. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

The epidemiology of dental caries has changed over the last decades. Historically, repairing the ravages of dental caries has been the backbone of general dental practice. This opinion article highlights the challenges of moving from a repair service to a preventive service from the viewpoint of: what is the future health market? It also touches on the negative aspects of how organisations manage the challenges of the change process.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics declaration. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Welsh Government. Together for Health: A National Oral Health Plan for Wales 2013-14. 2013.
    1. NHS Wales. Children and Young People Committee Inquiry into Children's Oral Health. 2012.
    1. Richards W, Coll A M, Filipponi T. Oral health promotion: from dental professionals through to intermediates and end users. Br J Health Care Manag 2019; 10: 2-8.
    1. Richards W. Does the general dental practitioner have a role in tackling reducing oral health inequalities? Prim Dent J 2013; 2: 58-63.
    1. Inside Health. Can supervised toothbrushing fix the children's dental crisis? BBC Radio 4 (London) 19 November 2024.

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