Source
Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, New York University College of Dentistry, 345 E. 24th Street, New York City, NY 10010, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Members of the established public health systems and medical community must understand that, in medical surge events, members of the dental profession and other non-traditional disaster health care personnel are an additional source of assistance in response activities.
METHODS:
The authors relied on hands-on experience, expert consultations, literature reviews and Web searches to identify disaster response training programs appropriate for members of the dental profession and other health care personnel.
RESULTS:
The authors identified multiple governmental and professional disaster training programs.
CONCLUSIONS:
Five key national-level programs address the training and organization of health care professionals to support a large-scale disaster program. Because of their training and skills, dental professionals would be valuable additions to these programs and could make significant contributions if natural disasters and/or terrorist events were to occur.