Improving oral health with the new dental contract.

The challenge for the twenty-first century for oral health is to reduce the social inequality observed in populations. This challenge has been made explicit by the Department of Health (DH) in England. Turning rhetoric into reality is difficult for all concerned whatever field or profession. A cohesive model that embraces philosophical ideals can help individuals achieve change as it provides structure on which to develop ideas. This paper describes a model of care in general dental practice that fits the requirements of the DoH in addressing social inequalities, in the context of developing general dental services.