This review identifies a paucity of research of the effectiveness of behavioural or oral health promotion interventions

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the recommendations and future work of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 2 journals. Those papers have been cited 10 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 3 representative gaps

• Perceived importance of oral health among patients attending Katutura Hospital general outpatient department and dental clinic, Namibia (2026) · Acta Odontologica Scandinavica · doi

  Perceived oral health status was also significantly associated with clinical tooth decay. Participants who reported good oral Based on the findings of this study, several recommendations can be made to improve oral health knowledge, promote 432 J. J. RUTABANZIBWA AND A. ROSS preventive oral health behaviors, and reduce the burden of untreated dental diseases in Namibia. Firstly, oral health promotion programs should be strengthened and integrated into primary health care services. Education was the strongest predictor of both oral health knowledge and reduced tooth decay, indicating the importance of improving oral health literacy among populations with lower educational attainment. Community-based oral health education campaigns using simple language, visual materials, and local languages should be implemented, particularly targeting disadvantaged and low-literacy populations. Previous studies have shown that improved oral health literacy is associated with better oral hygiene practices, increased utilization of preventive dental services, and improved oral health outcomes [35, 36]. Secondly, oral health education should be incorporated into school health programs and community outreach activities. Early exposure to oral hygiene education may improve lifelong preventive behaviors such as regular toothbrushing and routine dental attendance. Collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Ministry of Education may facilitate the integration of oral health into existing health promotion initiatives. School-based oral health interventions have been shown to significantly improve oral health knowledge and oral hygiene behaviors among children and adolescents [37, 38]. Thirdly, preventive oral health services should be expanded and made more accessible, especially for unemployed and low- income populations. The findings showed that unemployed participants reported higher perceived dental needs, suggesting that financial barriers may limit access to care. Strengthening public oral health services, increasing outreach dental programs, and integrating preventive oral care into existing primary health care packages may help reduce inequalities in access to services. Socioeconomic inequalities in oral health service utilization have been widely reported in both developed and developing countries [20, 39]. Fourthly, there is a need to shift the current oral health system from a predominantly treatment-oriented approach toward prevention and early intervention. Many patients continue to seek care only when symptoms become severe. Public awareness campaigns should therefore emphasize the importance of routine dental check-ups, early treatment, and preventive care to reduce advanced dental disease and tooth loss. Evidence suggests that preventive and early intervention strategies are more cost-effective and contribute to improved long-term oral health outcomes [40]. frequent twice-daily Furthermore, oral hygiene promotion initiatives should toothbrushing with fluoridated encourage toothpaste, as toothbrushing was significantly associated with good perceived oral health. Health care workers, including nurses and community health workers, should be trained to provide basic oral health education during routine patient encounters. The use of fluoridated toothpaste and regular toothbrushing has consistently been associated with reduced dental caries and improved oral hygiene status [41, 42]. Finally, further research is recommended using community- based and longitudinal study designs to better understand causal pathways between socioeconomic factors, oral health perceptions, service utilization, and clinical oral health outcomes in Namibia. Future studies should also explore additional factors such as dietary habits, fluoride exposure, cultural beliefs, and barriers to accessing preventive dental services. Longitudinal and population-based studies are important for informing evidence-based oral health policies and planning [43].

  generalrecommendations
  Keywords: oral health dental preventive care services based education hygiene associated community improved early toothbrushing perceived
• Can oral health care be a gateway to improve cardiovascular disease? A scoping review (2024) · Frontiers in Oral Health · cited 8× · doi

  This review identifies a paucity of research of the effectiveness of behavioural or oral health promotion interventions in improving oral health and oral hygiene awareness and associated cardiac disease outcomes. Such programs could be incorporated in future preventative oral health and CVD management protocols. Additionally, a systematic reform of oral health education is warranted to help educate and empower the public against oral health disease and associated risks of systematic conditions. It is highly recommended that prospective studies and trials with larger sizes and extended observation periods are conducted to present more reliable evidence on the impact of oral health promotions and programs on CVD severity and management, reducing inflammatory markers through improving oral health care results in a protective effect against CVD risk and development. including an assessment of whether sample

  generalrecommendations
  Keywords: oral health improving associated disease programs management systematic against review identi paucity effectiveness behavioural promotion
• Embracing change, moving with time: exploring the role of digital technologies and accelerators in promoting community oral health in Africa (2025) · Frontiers in Oral Health · cited 2× · doi

  for maximizing on integrated approaches of health promotion at community level. Oral diseases carry similar predisposing factors to NCDs such as smoking, poor diet and alcohol consumption (22). As countries are advocating for integration of NCD counselling, education and screening at taken into primary health care, oral health needs consideration (9, 23). Integrating these services would not only be cost effective, but will also improve access to oral health services and eventually health outcomes. However, a clear disjuncture between oral diseases and other NCDs greatly characterizes most health care system (23, 24). to be In most African countries, oral health care services are less prioritized leading to underfunding (23, 24). This affects the services quality, access, and availability of oral healthcare provided particularly among the marginalized populations. In addition to limited funding, most governments lack appropriate oral health policy documents to support the development of oral health services (10). The number of registered oral healthcare workers in Africa remains disproportional to the population. A recent estimate utilizing data from 2014 to 2019, indicates that there are only 3.3 dentist per 100,000 people. Another analysis which also assessed oral health workforce (dentists, dental assistants and therapists, and dental prosthetic technicians) across Africa also revealed notable gaps (25). Despite the growth rate of 63.6% since 2010, the study revealed that the current density of dentist (per 10,000 population) in Africa remains very low at 0.44, with marked intra-regional inequity (Seychelles, 4.297; South Sudan 0.003) (25). Having noted the disparities in oral healthcare in Africa, and in a quest to strengthen oral health promotion, the World Health Organization (WHO) African member states convened in 2021 and resolved to set an audacious vision of achieving universal oral healthcare by 2030 (10). Since then, a comprehensive global strategy on oral health was set and adopted by African member states at the 2022 World Health Assembly (WHA). This strategic framework provides opportune moments to spur regional commitment towards oral health. However, achieving the equitable and better access to comprehensive oral health services requires identifying more innovative ways that could help to unravel in Africa.

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: health oral services africa healthcare care access african promotion diseases ncds countries remains population dentist

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