The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the need for consensus on the definition of essential oral healthcare. The article "Pandemic considerations on essential oral healthcare" provides a layered model of essential oral healthcare, integrating urgent and basic oral healthcare, as well as advanced and specialist oral healthcare.
Essential oral healthcare covers the most prevalent oral health problems but, by default, does not include the full spectrum of possible interventions that contemporary dentistry can provide. A layered approach to the definition of essential oral healthcare allows for categorization and prioritization with available resources and needs in mind. This model also includes a definition of basic oral healthcare and calls for oral healthcare to be recognized as an integral component of a healthcare system's essential services.
"There is a significant need for evidence-based criteria to define which dental interventions are to be included in each category of essential oral healthcare. A lack of clearly defined essential oral healthcare services leaves people at risk for physical, mental and social harm," said JDR Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Jakubovics. "All stakeholders, including the research, academic and clinical communities, need to work together to respond to this call for a consensus."
About the Journal of Dental Research
The IADR/AADR Journal of Dental Research (JDR) is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge in all sciences relevant to dentistry and the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease. The JDR ranks #3 in Impact Factor of 91 journals, #2 without self-citations, as well as #2 of 91 in Article Influence with a score of 1.627. The JDR's 5-year Impact Factor remained above 5 for the fifth year at 5.844 -- ranking #2 of 91 journals. With over 20,000 citations, the JDR also boasts the most citations in the "Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine" category, over 3,500 citations above the 2nd ranked journal in the field.
International Association for Dental Research
The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with over 10,000 individual members worldwide, with a Mission to drive dental, oral and craniofacial research to advance health and well-being worldwide. To learn more, visit https://www.iadr.org. The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is the largest Division of IADR with 3,100 members in the United States. To learn more, visit https://www.iadr.org/aadr.
