The Role of Community Health Workers in Oral Health Promotion and the Impact of their services in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

Oral ailments are largely preventable but remain a significant public health concern afflicting nearly half the global population. These conditions account for 220 years of life lost per 100,000 people and about US$500 billion in health-related expenditures. SubSaharan Africa bears a significant burden of oral health problems thus exerting additional pressure on the scarce human resources for health. Community healthcare workers (CHWs) could be potentially utilised to bridge the shortage of oral health professionals in sub-Saharan Africa, hence, this systematic review that seeks to explore their current roles in oral health and potential impact on general physical health. This review follows the PRISMA guidelines and databases searched include PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and CINAHL published between January 2010 and December 2019. Nine studies met the study eligibility criteria. The authors of this review established that CHWs perform variable roles cutting across primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention including providing oral hygiene education, recognising common pathologies, and treating oral lesions, administration of tooth extractions, dental pain management, and referral for advanced care. Although this could potentially improve oral health, our review did not establish the extent of the specific impact on general physical health of patients and the burden of oral condition.

The role of community health workers in promoting oral health at school settings: A scoping review

“…What has been brought to light are the various non‐dental personnel such as teachers and peer learners involved in augmenting staff capacity in school oral health interventions. Utilization of such personnel has been reported to being beneficial in increasing oral health access to surrounding local communities and demonstrating the importance of cultural determinants in improving the uptake of services (35, 37, 55). Furthermore, acceptability and adoption of oral health activities at school settings was enhanced by the use of the non‐dental personnel, particularly when training and support was made available (56).…”

The Knowledge and Participation of Community Health Care Workers in Oral Health Promotion

“…21 However, the study reflected our participants to be ill prepared to contribute to oral health and that their role and participation is generally poorly defined. 23 It is therefore recommended that CHWs should be exposed to regular training as a way of Continuous Professional Development (CPD). In addition, periodic monitoring and evaluation of the training and participation should be undertaken in order to address emerging gaps proactively.…”