Delivering prevention to the community course for Dental Practitioners

This session suggests approaches to promote the oral health of the community. It outlines the rationale for community-based preventative measures, describes the approaches available and provides guidelines on appraising the literature that supports a community-based approach.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• list the epidemiological information required to decide on an appropriate oral health promotion strategy
• describe the shortcomings of conventional dental health education
• outline the basis for the Common Risk Factor Strategy
• suggest appropriate settings for oral health promotion for different population groups
• outline the role of a dentist in oral health promotion strategy

The effectiveness reviews highlight that most psychological theories of health behaviour change used in chairside oral health education, largely ignore the fundamental importance of the social, environmental and political determinants of health.