The social sciences and dentistry: Current influence and future opportunity

The place of the social sciences in dentistry has to be seen within the context of an evolving and constantly expanding dental division of labour. In the first phase of this evolutionary process the biomedical sciences were harnessed to the dental task and ruled virtually unchallenged for nearly fifty years, though the influence of the social sciences was evident at an early stage in the field of dental epidemiology.

In a second phase in the scientific maturing of dentistry the social sciences were increasingly drawn in to aid in certain specific areas, such as the management of patients and dental resources and the organisation and delivery of care. A third stage can now be identified in the relationship between dentistry and the social sciences, with the emergence of a tradition of more critical and reflexive research in the dental field.

In conclusion, it is argued that the present application of the social sciences serves largely to intensify the predominant personal service and treatment orientation current in dentistry. The greatest opportunity for a qualitative change in the impact of the social sciences, therefore, lies in the transition of dentistry from its predominant focus on individual treatment to a broader concern with the more global oral health needs of entire communities.