This 2nd edition focuses on the role of the public health professional in improving the oral health of people of all ages and cultures throughout the community. It covers all the topics in community dental health in a simple, concise, student-friendly way. It explores the advances made in the field and in national legislature since the first edition published and also highlights the many rewarding career opportunities available within the public health sector.

Key Features

• Includes helpful student learning features in each chapter such as objectives, key terms, an opening statement featuring the main concepts covered, bulleted lists of key concepts, and ideas for putting knowledge into practice within the community.
• Students will benefit from ADEA Dental Hygiene Competencies at the end of each chapter (along with a complete list in an appendix).
• Test Taking Strategies and Community Cases chapter provides an overview of the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam, gives tips for test preparation, and includes additional practice community case “testlets” similar to those on the actual exam to increase students’ confidence in taking the examination.
• Its trusted content is used by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations to create NBDH test questions.

New to this Edition

• New chapters on service learning and cultural competency give students information about how to appropriately and effectively interact with and teach oral health concepts to various populations.
• A new Status and Trends in Oral Health chapter helps students understand issues in the field and how they can encourage positive changes in their clients.
• New community case studies with 4 to 5 critical-thinking, multiple-choice questions end each chapter to help prepare students for real-life practice and for board exams. Answers and rationales are provided for instructors on the new Evolve website.
• New dental hygienist mini-profiles highlight the careers of recognized dental hygienists in the public health sector to show students the various roles they can play as dental hygienists in public health.
• The text includes the most recent advances made in the field and in the national legislature, along with current trends in oral health. You’ll find oral health-related coverage of Healthy People 2010, the Surgeon General's Report, and the National Call to Action.
• New Future of Dentistry report by the ADA communicates in-depth analyses of trends and issues in six areas critical to dental professionals and students. Integration of this information into chapters shows students how to apply these statements to appropriate areas of community oral health care.
• Many chapters include new websites for organizations and government entities for further research and the latest updates.