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The community health center has been viewed by many Americans as an important mechanism for the improvement of health of the urban poor. The millions of dollars allocated for a relatively small percentage of the population, however, has led to some criticisms of the concept. This paper deals with factors influencing the cost of dental services in a community health center and an analysis of several existing programs. The major factors affecting the cost effectiveness of the clinics appear to be the (1) broken appointment rate, (2) age distribution of the population served, (3) mixture of services rendered, and (4) additional community services rendered. Programs which have low broken appointment rates and which treat both adults and children seem to maintain a higher revenue-cost ratio. This ratio was in the range of 0.78 to 1.10 for the three dental programs studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sociologic survey of dental care practices and related attitudes and knowledge was conducted on 2071 16- to 45-year-old Danes in three selected areas. The complete findings were published in 1971 in a Danish thesis; only the findings on the frequency of dental visits (in childhood and at present), toothbrushing habits, and the selfreported number of teeth are presented here in detail. Particular emphasis is placed on the marked relationship of these factors to socio-economic status, the latter being determined by the respondents' education and occupation. Among the 35- to 45-year-olds, 84 % of the "high" SES group made regular dental visits, as opposed to 55 % of the "middle" and 37 % of the "low" SES group. Similar trends were demonstrated in all age groups and for all the parameters investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]