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Urquhart O, Matanhire-Zihanzu CN, Kulkarni R, Parrado EA, Aljarahi H, Bhosale AS, Braimoh O, Button J, Chifamba T, Emmanuel AT, Gatarayiha A, Kohler IV, Martins-Pfeifer CC, Ojukwu BT, Robbins M, Sofola O, Taiwo OO, Uti O, Makino Y, Glick M, Carrasco-Labra A. Oral Health Policy and Research Capacity: Perspectives From Dental Schools in Africa. Int Dent J 2024:S0020-6539(24)00045-5. [PMID: 38677971 DOI: 10.1016/j.identj.2024.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND AIMS The prioritisation of oral health in all health policies in the WHO African region is gaining momentum. Dental schools in this region are key stakeholders in informing the development and subsequent downstream implementation and monitoring of these policies. The objectives of our study are to determine how dental schools contribute to oral health policies (OHPs) in this region, to identify the barriers to and facilitators for engaging with other local stakeholders, and to understand their capacity to respond to population and public health needs. METHODS We developed a needs assessment survey, including quantitative and qualitative questions. The survey was developed electronically in Qualtrics and distributed by email in February 2023 to the deans or other designees at dental schools in the WHO African region. Data were analysed in SAS version 9.4 and ATLAS.ti. RESULTS The capacity for dental schools to respond to population and public health needs varied. Most schools have postgraduate programs to train the next generation of researchers. However, these programs have limitations that may hinder the students from achieving the necessary skills and training. A majority (75%) of respondents were aware of the existence of national OHPs and encountered a myriad of challenges when engaging with them, including a lack of coordination with other stakeholders, resources, and oral health professionals, and the low priority given to oral health. Their strengths as technical experts and researchers was a common facilitator for engaging with OHPs. CONCLUSION Dental schools in the region face common challenges and facilitators in engaging in the OHP process. There were several school-specific research and training capacities that enabled them to respond to population and public health needs. Overall, shared challenges and facilitators can inform stakeholder dialogues at a national and subnational level and help develop tailored solutions for enhancing the oral health policy pipeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Urquhart
- Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Cleopatra N Matanhire-Zihanzu
- Department of Oral Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Roopali Kulkarni
- Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Hind Aljarahi
- Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ankita Shashikant Bhosale
- Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Omoigberai Braimoh
- Department of Community Dentistry and Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Porty Harcourt, Nigeria
| | - John Button
- Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Timothy Chifamba
- Department of Oral Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Adeyemi Tope Emmanuel
- Department of Child Dental Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Bayero University, Kano/Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Tarauni, Kano, Nigeria
| | - Agnes Gatarayiha
- Department of preventive and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Iliana V Kohler
- Population Studies Center (PSC) and Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Basil T Ojukwu
- Department of Public Health, Intercountry Centre for Oral Health (ICOH) for Africa, Jos Plateau State, Nigeria
| | - Miriam Robbins
- Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Oyinkansola Sofola
- Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-araba, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Olaniyi O Taiwo
- Intercountry Center for Oral Health (ICOH) for Africa, Jos Plateau State, Nigeria
| | - Omolara Uti
- Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi Araba, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Yuka Makino
- NCDs management team, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Michael Glick
- Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
| | - Alonso Carrasco-Labra
- Center for Integrative Global Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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