Quality indicators: the rationale behind their use in NHS dentistry.

This paper explores the concept of quality as applied to healthcare and its subsequent application to dentistry. The assessment of quality arose from the manufacturing industry and is viewed as a cornerstone of current Government thinking. The difficulties in defining and therefore in measuring are examined and, in particular, the tensions between quantifying quality at a population level and at an individual level. The findings of the application of quality measures to primary medical care are reviewed, especially those that are linked to financial reimbursement of care providers and the implications for any future dental agenda discussed.