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The number of studies concerning special care dentistry patients has rapidly increased during the last three decades and policy statements concerning topics related to Special Care Dentistry are now included in the WHO policy. In Denmark Special Care Dentistry has been incorporated in the Danish Act of Health, just as a number of locally funded projects have been established. Traditionally, Special Care Dentistry is concerned with people suffering from mental retardation or a chronic mental disorder. Frail elderly people living in nursing homes or in domiciliary care have been included as well. Recently homeless people has attracted interest. In all these groups a lower level of oral health has been found. In order to study and implement oral care to these groups, the dental profession must overcome the difficulty of how to define the groups. Another methodical problem is related to whether or not it is relevant in this context to apply traditional measures of oral health and of the need for treatment. It is common, however, for all these groups to face a barrier to the normal utilization of oral health care system. Measures of participation in oral care and measures of Oral Health Related Quality of Life may be used as alternatives. Finally the present model of Special Care Dentistry in Denmark seems inadequate and the strategy does not comply withthe WHO policy

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