TY - JOUR
T1 - Oral Health Research in the WHO African Region between 2011 and 2022
T2 - A Scoping Review
AU - Labarca, T. F.
AU - Ortuño, D.
AU - Neira, L.
AU - Andrade, G.
AU - Bravo, F. J.
AU - Cantarutti, C. R.
AU - Dallaserra, M.
AU - Gatarayiha, A.
AU - Karajgikar, J.
AU - Kulchar, R. J.
AU - Liu, X.
AU - Martins-Pfeifer, C. C.
AU - Olivares, N.
AU - Pilcher, L.
AU - Pahlke, S.
AU - Pirela, C.
AU - Sanchez, J. M.
AU - Song, A.
AU - Urquhart, O.
AU - Vargas, J. P.
AU - Véliz, C.
AU - Verdugo-Paiva, F.
AU - Vergara, P.
AU - Zaffiri, V.
AU - Zuñiga, J.
AU - Makino, Y.
AU - Glick, M.
AU - Carrasco-Labra, A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/11
Y1 - 2024/11
N2 - The status of oral health research in the World Health Organization (WHO) African region is unclear, yet the need for such information is central to moving an oral health agenda forward. Such an agenda is essential for effectively translating research into actionable practices and supporting regional strategies. The aim of this scoping review was to provide data on the scope and output of oral health research in the WHO African region to be used as a starting point for establishing a research agenda that can affect oral health in the region. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed; EMBASE; Epistemonikos; Scopus; the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research General and Regional Sessions; ProQUEST; PROSPERO; and African regional databases such as Regional African Index Medicus and the African Journal Online. We included primary and secondary studies published in English, French, or Portuguese between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2022, addressing oral health–related research having individuals, groups, or populations as units of analysis. These reports either addressed a topic relevant to the WHO African region assessed using the title and study objective or were conducted in a country in the region. We excluded in vitro and in vivo studies focusing on cells, biomarkers, or animals. We assessed 24,014 records, and 1,379 proved eligible. Our findings indicate a preference for particular research designs less suitable for evidence-informed practice guidelines and oral policies, a limited scope of oral health research topics, and important regional differences in research capacity. Furthermore, publications by researchers in the WHO African region tend to be published in journals with a limited readership. A discussion of our findings among oral health researchers at academic institutions in the WHO African region on how to create within- and across-country collaborations could potentially improve both health and oral health in the region.
AB - The status of oral health research in the World Health Organization (WHO) African region is unclear, yet the need for such information is central to moving an oral health agenda forward. Such an agenda is essential for effectively translating research into actionable practices and supporting regional strategies. The aim of this scoping review was to provide data on the scope and output of oral health research in the WHO African region to be used as a starting point for establishing a research agenda that can affect oral health in the region. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed; EMBASE; Epistemonikos; Scopus; the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research General and Regional Sessions; ProQUEST; PROSPERO; and African regional databases such as Regional African Index Medicus and the African Journal Online. We included primary and secondary studies published in English, French, or Portuguese between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2022, addressing oral health–related research having individuals, groups, or populations as units of analysis. These reports either addressed a topic relevant to the WHO African region assessed using the title and study objective or were conducted in a country in the region. We excluded in vitro and in vivo studies focusing on cells, biomarkers, or animals. We assessed 24,014 records, and 1,379 proved eligible. Our findings indicate a preference for particular research designs less suitable for evidence-informed practice guidelines and oral policies, a limited scope of oral health research topics, and important regional differences in research capacity. Furthermore, publications by researchers in the WHO African region tend to be published in journals with a limited readership. A discussion of our findings among oral health researchers at academic institutions in the WHO African region on how to create within- and across-country collaborations could potentially improve both health and oral health in the region.
KW - epidemiology
KW - evidence-based dentistry
KW - health services research
KW - policy
KW - public health
KW - research design
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85208622852
U2 - 10.1177/00220345241272024
DO - 10.1177/00220345241272024
M3 - Review article
C2 - 39469849
AN - SCOPUS:85208622852
SN - 0022-0345
VL - 103
SP - 1209
EP - 1217
JO - Journal of Dental Research
JF - Journal of Dental Research
IS - 12
ER -
