Public economics

Public health

Business

Equity (law)

Neglect

Economic growth

Nursing

Political science

Health care

Economics

Legislation

Medicine

Environmental health

The Lancet

Oral diseases are a major global public health problem affecting over 3·5 billion people. However, dentistry has so far been unable to tackle this problem. A fundamentally different approach is now needed. In this second of two papers in a Series on oral health, we present a critique of dentistry, highlighting its key limitations and the urgent need for system reform. In high-income countries, the current treatment-dominated, increasingly high-technology, interventionist, and specialised approach is not tackling the underlying causes of disease and is not addressing inequalities in oral health.

Ending the neglect of global oral health: time for radical action