This essay focuses on the pioneer activities of public health dentistry in Brazil and its evolution in the 20th century with emphasis on the emergency of a landmark, the sanitary dentistry. Social and preventive dentistry and market dentistry, with reference to the main theoretical works representative of these trends, are presented. The essential characteristics of collective oral health (Brazilian variant of public health dentistry) and buccality are presented. The relationship between collective oral health and collective health as well as the implications of the buccality concept for the development of public health dentistry actions and new guidance of clinical practice in public services of the Brazilian Health System (SUS) are discussed. The key elements of an agenda for collective oral health based on proposals presented at the 3rd National Conference on Oral Health are addressed.