Departamento de Odontologia Preventiva e Social, Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
J Dent Res. 2021 Jul;100(7):681-685. doi: 10.1177/0022034521992011. Epub 2021 Feb 4.
Despite some improvements in the oral health of populations globally, major problems remain all over the planet, most notably among underprivileged communities of low- and middle-income countries but also in high-income countries. Furthermore, essential oral health care has been a privilege, instead of a right, for most individuals. The release of the issue on oral health in July 2019 built up some momentum and put oral conditions and dental services in the limelight. Yet, much work is still needed to bridge the gap between dental research and global health and get oral health recognized as a population health priority worldwide. Using the framework proposed by Shiffman, we argue that a global health network for oral health must be harnessed to influence global health policy and drive health system reform. We have identified challenges around 4 key areas (problem definition, positioning, coalition building, and governance) from our experience working in the global health arena and with collaborators in multidisciplinary teams. These challenges are outlined here to validate them externally but also to call the attention of interested players inside and outside dentistry. How well our profession addresses these challenges will shape our performance during the Sustainable Development Goals era and beyond. This analysis is followed by a discussion of fundamental gaps in knowledge, particularly in 3 areas of oral health action: 1) epidemiology and health information systems; 2) collection, harmonization, and rigorous assessment of evidence for prevention, equity, and treatment; and 3) optimal strategies for delivering essential quality care to all who need it without financial hardship.
尽管全球人口的口腔健康状况有所改善，但全球仍存在重大问题，尤其是在中低收入国家的贫困社区，在高收入国家也是如此。此外，基本的口腔保健一直是大多数人的特权，而不是权利。2019 年 7 月发布的口腔健康问题报告为这一问题的解决提供了一些动力，使口腔状况和牙科服务成为关注焦点。然而，要缩小牙科研究与全球健康之间的差距，使口腔健康在全球范围内被视为一项优先事项，仍需要做大量工作。我们利用 Shiffman 提出的框架，认为必须利用全球口腔健康网络来影响全球卫生政策并推动卫生系统改革。我们从在全球卫生领域的工作经验以及多学科团队的合作者那里确定了 4 个关键领域（问题定义、定位、联盟建设和治理）的挑战。这里概述了这些挑战，不仅是为了对外验证它们，也是为了引起牙科学内外利益相关者的关注。我们的专业如何应对这些挑战将塑造我们在可持续发展目标时代及以后的表现。在讨论了口腔健康行动的 3 个关键领域（流行病学和健康信息系统；预防、公平和治疗方面的证据收集、协调和严格评估；为所有需要的人提供基本优质护理的最佳战略，而不会造成经济困难）中的知识差距后，本文进行了分析。
