About this Research Topic
The growing threat to the health of the planet and as a consequence a threat to human and oral health are complex, trans-boundary, multi-level and sector wide. Governments recognize that climate change is one of the major threats to global public health, and the need for global climate action to promote health and build climate-resilient and sustainable health systems. Oral health professionals, educators, researchers and policy-makers must be equipped with the knowledge and evidence to meaningfully participate in multisectoral partnerships and decision-making at the community, subnational, national, regional and global levels. This will strengthen coordination mechanisms and joint action for sustainable development, as well as short and mid-term political and organizational decision-making for planetary health (for example UN Biodiversity / Climate Conferences) and reporting for sustainability.
The WHO Global Strategy on Oral Health and Action Plan 2023 -2030 supports the development of ambitious national responses to promote oral health which are aligned with and build on other relevant global commitments, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The six strategic objectives of the WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan (2023–2030) frame this Research Topic so as to contribute to evidence-informed actions that can be adapted to national and sub-national contexts.
The aim of this Research Topic is to i. provide a reference resource on the oral health, One Health, planetary health and sustainable development, ii. support global oral health diplomacy and advocacy efforts for addressing climate change, and contributing to the sustainable development agenda iii. foundational knowledge for a global oral health program at the COP 30 Climate Conference in Brazil, 2025.
We invite trainees (students, postdocs) and early-career investigators as well as senior investigators to submit their work. The Research Topic team welcomes original research reports, case reports, systematic reviews, mini-reviews, methods and perspectives. Research Topics within each of the WHO strategic objectives outlined below are designed to stimulate enquiry and help guide authors but do not limit potential submissions.
1. Oral health governance, policy, legislation and financing
• Policy coherence for sustainable development to ensure oral health policies are aligned with and contribute to achieving sustainable development outcomes across its economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
• Strengthening oral and planetary health in all policies approaches so that oral health is integrated in all relevant policies and public health programs as part of the broader national NCD and UHC agendas as well as in sectors beyond health, such as education, environment, water, finance and telecommunications.
• Rethinking and reshaping paradigms for oral health decision making and public policy through Youth engagement and advocacy (15 – 29 years)
2. Oral health promotion and oral disease prevention
The concept of sustainable oral health seeks to safeguard the Earth’s natural systems and empower inclusive, collective and long-lasting partnerships which enable people to maintain their health in daily life and in the face of adversity, trauma, threat or significant sources of stress throughout their life.
• upstream health promotion and prevention approaches including tackling the social, environmental and commercial determinants of oral health
• oral health promotion in key settings such as schools, workplaces, long-term care facilities, hospital and other health care settings, community-based settings and public venues.
3. Oral Health workforce
Mechanisms and processes for organizational and institutional reform for the development and production of a competent and well-motivated oral health and emergency workforce that can respond appropriately to climate change issues, both in terms of adaption and mitigate as well as disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
• Integrating transdisciplinary multisectoral, One Health approaches
• New approaches to pedagogy where higher education institutions partner with business, policy, community, and cultural institutions
4. Oral health care
• Digital health technologies and their potential role in delivering of accessible, effective oral health promotion
• Diagnostics, preventive technologies and therapeutics for minimally invasive and sustainable oral health care
• Financial protection through expanded private and public insurance policies and programs
• Information on traditional oral health care practices that are not part of that country’s own conventional dental/oral health services, but which form a significant aspect of oral health care in many communities.
5. Oral health information systems
High-quality data and modern digital capabilities can offer critical advantages in addressing complex multisectoral challenges which can promote and enable agile and adaptive partnerships to respond to future health and oral health challenges.
• Strengthening capabilities to produce better data, analytics, and collaboration among diverse stakeholders globally, both within and beyond the health sector, to enhance public health intelligence and improve evidence for decision-making
The WHO Global Strategy on Oral Health and Action Plan 2023 -2030 supports the development of ambitious national responses to promote oral health which are aligned with and build on other relevant global commitments, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The six strategic objectives of the WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan (2023–2030) frame this Research Topic so as to contribute to evidence-informed actions that can be adapted to national and sub-national contexts.
The aim of this Research Topic is to i. provide a reference resource on the oral health, One Health, planetary health and sustainable development, ii. support global oral health diplomacy and advocacy efforts for addressing climate change, and contributing to the sustainable development agenda iii. foundational knowledge for a global oral health program at the COP 30 Climate Conference in Brazil, 2025.
We invite trainees (students, postdocs) and early-career investigators as well as senior investigators to submit their work. The Research Topic team welcomes original research reports, case reports, systematic reviews, mini-reviews, methods and perspectives. Research Topics within each of the WHO strategic objectives outlined below are designed to stimulate enquiry and help guide authors but do not limit potential submissions.
1. Oral health governance, policy, legislation and financing
• Policy coherence for sustainable development to ensure oral health policies are aligned with and contribute to achieving sustainable development outcomes across its economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
• Strengthening oral and planetary health in all policies approaches so that oral health is integrated in all relevant policies and public health programs as part of the broader national NCD and UHC agendas as well as in sectors beyond health, such as education, environment, water, finance and telecommunications.
• Rethinking and reshaping paradigms for oral health decision making and public policy through Youth engagement and advocacy (15 – 29 years)
2. Oral health promotion and oral disease prevention
The concept of sustainable oral health seeks to safeguard the Earth’s natural systems and empower inclusive, collective and long-lasting partnerships which enable people to maintain their health in daily life and in the face of adversity, trauma, threat or significant sources of stress throughout their life.
• upstream health promotion and prevention approaches including tackling the social, environmental and commercial determinants of oral health
• oral health promotion in key settings such as schools, workplaces, long-term care facilities, hospital and other health care settings, community-based settings and public venues.
3. Oral Health workforce
Mechanisms and processes for organizational and institutional reform for the development and production of a competent and well-motivated oral health and emergency workforce that can respond appropriately to climate change issues, both in terms of adaption and mitigate as well as disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
• Integrating transdisciplinary multisectoral, One Health approaches
• New approaches to pedagogy where higher education institutions partner with business, policy, community, and cultural institutions
4. Oral health care
• Digital health technologies and their potential role in delivering of accessible, effective oral health promotion
• Diagnostics, preventive technologies and therapeutics for minimally invasive and sustainable oral health care
• Financial protection through expanded private and public insurance policies and programs
• Information on traditional oral health care practices that are not part of that country’s own conventional dental/oral health services, but which form a significant aspect of oral health care in many communities.
5. Oral health information systems
High-quality data and modern digital capabilities can offer critical advantages in addressing complex multisectoral challenges which can promote and enable agile and adaptive partnerships to respond to future health and oral health challenges.
• Strengthening capabilities to produce better data, analytics, and collaboration among diverse stakeholders globally, both within and beyond the health sector, to enhance public health intelligence and improve evidence for decision-making
Keywords: One Health, Planetary Health, Sustainable Development, Climate
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
