They also provide patients with proactive programs of preventative oral health care. Individuals who enter the dental public health field are involved in developing policies and programs, such as health care reform, that affect the community at large. Oral pathologists are dental scientists who study and research the causes, processes, and effects of diseases that have oral manifestations. These diseases may be confined to the mouth and oral cavity, or they may be symptomatic of a health problem affecting other parts of the body. Orthodontists treat problems related to irregular dental development, missing teeth and other abnormalities.
Pediatric dentists specialize in treating children from birth to adolescence.
They may also treat disabled patients beyond the age of adolescence. Periodontists diagnose and treat diseases of the gingival tissue and bone supporting the teeth. Gingival tissue includes the gum, the oral mucous membranes, and other tissue that surround and support the teeth. This dental specialty is the science and art of replacing missing natural teeth and associated structures with fixed or removable substitutes. One contributing factor is a decrease in the number of dentists.