ADA report aims to help shape dentistry's future

This is a critical moment for dentistry and a time for the profession to define its future vision, according to an analysis of the dental care sector released by the ADA.

The report, "A Profession in Transition: Key Forces Reshaping the Dental Landscape," summarizes important findings of an environmental scan carried out by the ADA as part of the ADA's 2015-2020 Strategic Plan development process.

It is the first analysis of its kind from the ADA, the association noted in a press release.

Here are some of the report's key findings:

• While more children have been visiting the dentist, primarily due to the expansion of public insurance programs, dental care use has declined among working-age adults, particularly the young and poor, a trend that emerged prior to the recent economic downturn. Dental benefits coverage for adults has steadily eroded in the past decade.

• Total dental spending in the U.S. slowed considerably in the early 2000s and has been flat since 2008. This trend is expected to continue, resulting in dentists looking for more efficient ways to serve their patients, as well as a likely increase in consolidating dental practices.

• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is expected to expand children's dental benefits, both public and private, but it does not address the many access-to-care issues facing adults.

• The ACA is also expected to promote increased coordination of care, providing an opportunity to bridge the gap between dental and general health.

The ADA's Health Policy Resources Center, with oversight from the Strategic Planning Steering Committee of the Board of Trustees, managed the execution of the environmental scan using a combination of internal researchers and external consultants to complete the analysis. The environmental scan team commissioned external studies from consulting firm Diringer and Associates and obtained insights and analyses from a group of renowned thought leaders with diverse background and perspectives.

The ADA plans to offer a webinar in the next few weeks and presentations to interested groups upon request.