Health professionals' views on oral health promotion: A qualitative study

Dental disease is a preventable condition; however, the most at-risk are the less affluent in society. Governments have responded with programmes to tackle the inequalities. This qualitative study aimed to explore the views of healthcare professionals regarding their role in oral health promotion and their understanding of the issues surrounding the delivery of effective oral health promotion within their practice. Six school nurses and three health visitors currently attending the specialist community public health nursing course took part in the focus group. An interview schedule devised by the authors and peer-reviewed for face and content validity was used. Three main themes generated from the data analysis: role and limitations, barriers and opportunities. The participants were committed to promote oral health, though they had little knowledge and participation in the Welsh Government's scheme, Designed to Smile. The caregivers voiced answers to improve the effectiveness of oral health promotion which included education and a cohesive approach. A greater involvement of the health carers is needed to address inequality; furthermore, at the time of internal review the need for process and outcome evaluation along with the critical appraisal of the evidence is vital to shape programmes that are fit-for-purpose and sustainable.