Delivering urgent oral healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa: supporting sustainable local development. Issue 3 (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: England, Rachael; Paterson, Andrew; Jones, Adam
• Is Part Of: Primary dental journal. Volume 10:Issue 3(2021)
• Page Start: 69
• Page End: 74
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: Global oral health -- education -- urgent dental care -- volunteering -- oral urgent treatment; Dentistry -- Periodicals; Dentistry -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 617.6
• DOI: 10.1177/20501684211029420
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-1684

Abstract

Oral disease continues to be a public health burden, affecting almost half of the global population, and disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities. 1 Development organisations use different approaches to tackle this through short-term volunteering programmes in low- and middle-income countries, to address oral health needs in a variety of ways. There is evidence that volunteering requires a high level of cultural competence to avoid negatively impacting on local healthcare systems. 2-4 The oral health care needs of communities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) differ markedly from those in the developed world, posing challenges for volunteering organisations to provide effective programmes in circumstances where there is a lack of resources, equipment and infrastructure.