Chapter 2.5 Global Congress on Dental Education September 2007 1-17 Chapter 2.5 PROFILE OF THE ORAL HEALTH CARE TEAM IN COUNTRIES WITH EMERGING ECONOMIES D. Nash 1* , J. Ruotoistenmäki 2‡ , A. Argentieri 3 , S. Barna 4 , J. Behbehani 5 , P. Berthold 6 , F.Catalanotto 7 , M. Chidzonga 8 , L. Goldblatt 9 , N. Jaafar 10 , E. Kikwilu 11 , T. Konoo 12 , E. Kouzmina 13 , C. Lindh 14 , K. Mathu-Muju 1 , V. Mathur 15 , E. Mumghamba 11 , N. Nik Hussein 10 , P. Phantumvanit 16 , R. Runnel 17 , H. Shaw 18 , E. Honkala 19† 1 College of Dentistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA; 2 Institute of Dentistry, University of Helsinki, Finland; 3 Faculty of Odontology, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina 4 General Dental Practice, Iasi, Romania; 5 Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, Kuwait; 6 School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA; 7 College of Dentistry, University of Florida, USA; 8 Department of Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe; 9 School of Dentistry, Indiana University, USA; 10 Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 11 School of Dentistry, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; 12 College of Dentistry, Kyushu Dental College, Japan; 13 Department of Preventive Dentistry, Moscow Medical Stomatological Institute, Moscow, Russia; 14 Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Sweden; 15 Centre for Dental Education and Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India; 16 Faculty of Dentistry, Thammasat University, Thailand; 17 Faculty of Stomatology, University of Tartu, Estonia; 18 Department of Biomaterials and Experimental Dentistry, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland; 19 Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Finland * Rapporteur †Chairperson ‡ Researcher Key Words: oral health care workforce, emerging economies, education/training, national oral health care plan Abstract Health is a critical dimension of human well-being and flourishing; oral health is an integral component of health. One is not healthy without oral health. Significant barriers exist to ensuring the world’s people receive basic health care, including oral health care. Among the barriers are poverty, ignorance, inadequate financial resources, and lack of adequate numbers of educated and trained (oral) health care workers. Emerging economies are encouraged to develop a national strategic plan for oral health. International organizations have developed goals for oral health that can be referenced and adapted by emerging economies as they seek to formulate specific objectives for their countries. Demographic data that assess the nature and extent of oral diseases in a country are essential to sound planning and the development of an oral health care system that is relevant, effective, and economically viable. Prevention should be emphasised and priority consideration be given to oral health care for children. The types and numbers of members of the oral health care team (workforce) will vary from country to country depending on the oral