Epidemiological surveys (see Chapter 29) show that people in poorer, O deprived areas suffer greater dental disease than those in more prosperous areas and the needs expressed by people in poorer areas are more likely t free treatment, rather than water fl This is known as felt need, and B should be taken into account when professionals are assessing what they call normative need (the measures that they know will improve oral health) The overall aim of oral health promotion is to influence the social norms of a community towards change and improvement through evidence-based prevention (e.g. water fluoridation, smoking cessation). Greatest benefit will ultimately be obtained by combining high-risk approaches (where groups or individuals thought to be at highest risk of disease are targeted with the population approach (such as water fluoridation)