Less need for dentists in the future according to lecturer
Norwegian teeth have become so much better that we will need fewer dentists in the future, says dentist and university lecturer Carl Christian Blich. He is afraid the quality of treatment will be worse when everyone gets less to do. He is not supported by Statistics Norway (SSB).
– In the mid-70s it was meaningful to talk about the loss of teeth as a measure of dental health, but today 24 percent of 18 year olds have no cavities and the number of dental fillings are averaging 3.7 says dentist Carl Christian Blich to NRK.
The dentist will not scare anyone away from starting the dentistry study, but believes that the number of study places in dentistry must be reduced.
– Such a specialized subject requires volume training to stay on top and it will be harder to maintain a sufficient level of profiency when more and more dentists share fewer tasks, he tells to the channel.
The Norwegian Dental Association, on the other hand, will not support cutting study places in Norway. They believe that we can not know what kind of needs the patients will have in the future.
– Dentists who retire and an immigrant population with increased need, indicate that we should not cut study places now, says Reseracher in SSB, Nils Martin Stølen.
New treatments
– New groups will still need dental care, including the elderly. We live longer and keep our own teeth. Those who survive cancer often also have problems and pain in the oral cavity, and will need treatment. NTF is therefore concerned that the education needs to be adapted to the needs of society and patients, says president of the Dental Association, Camilla Steinum, to NRK.
Carl Christian Blich, believes that it will not be enough to do in the future and that studies show that dentists already have too few patients. He calls for new and more accurate projections of how many dentists we actually are going to need.
– Just 15-20 years in the future it will be completely different. Then those with large repair needs will be gone.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
