Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Feb 15;18(1):23.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-018-0484-8.

From theoretical concepts to policies and applied programmes: the landscape of integration of oral health in primary care

Hermina Harnagea  1 , Lise Lamothe  1 , Yves Couturier  2 , Shahrokh Esfandiari  3 , René Voyer  4 , Anne Charbonneau  4 , Elham Emami  5   6   7   8
Affiliations
Review

From theoretical concepts to policies and applied programmes: the landscape of integration of oral health in primary care

Hermina Harnagea et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Background: Despite its importance, the integration of oral health into primary care is still an emerging practice in the field of health care services. This scoping review aims to map the literature and provide a summary on the conceptual frameworks, policies and programs related to this concept.

Methods: Using the Levac et al. six-stage framework, we performed a systematic search of electronic databases, organizational websites and grey literature from 1978 to April 2016. All relevant original publications with a focus on the integration of oral health into primary care were retrieved. Content analyses were performed to synthesize the results.

Results: From a total of 1619 citations, 67 publications were included in the review. Two conceptual frameworks were identified. Policies regarding oral heath integration into primary care were mostly oriented toward common risk factors approach and care coordination processes. In general, oral health integrated care programs were designed in the public health sector and based on partnerships with various private and public health organizations, governmental bodies and academic institutions. These programmes used various strategies to empower oral health integrated care, including building interdisciplinary networks, training non-dental care providers, oral health champion modelling, enabling care linkages and care coordinated process, as well as the use of e-health technologies. The majority of studies on the programs outcomes were descriptive in nature without reporting long-term outcomes.

Conclusions: This scoping review provided a comprehensive overview on the concept of integration of oral health in primary care. The findings identified major gaps in reported programs outcomes mainly because of the lack of related research. However, the results could be considered as a first step in the development of health care policies that support collaborative practices and patient-centred care in the field of primary care sector.

Keywords: Integration; Oral health; Primary care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Strategies for integration of oral health into primary care based on the Valentijn et al. integration framework
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flowchart of the scoping review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organisation (WHO). Health Systems Strengthening Glossary. World Health Organisation. 2017. http://www.who.int/healthsystems/hss_glossary/en/index8.html. Accessed 12.04 2017.
    1. Petersen PE. Strengthening Of oral health systems: oral health through primary health care. Med Princ Pract. 2014;23(Suppl 1):3–9. doi: 10.1159/000356937. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Practice. Health Resources and Services Administration. 2014. https://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/clinical/oralhealth/primarycare/integr.... Accessed 3 Apr 2017.
    1. American Academy of Family Physicians. Oral health. American Academy of Family Physicians. 2017. http://www.aafp.org/patient-care/public-health/oral-health.html. Accessed 5.03 2017.
    1. Emami E, Harnagea H, Girard F, Charbonneau A, Voyer R, Bedos CP, Chartier M, Wooton J, Couturier Y. Integration of oral health into primary care: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open. 2016;6(10) 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013807. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding