Preparing the Frontline: Integrating Oral Health into Medical and Nursing Curricula
1
School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
2
Community Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
3
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1093
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Medical practitioners and nurses are frontline health professionals and are often the first point of contact for patients presenting with oral health (OH) concerns[1-3]. Despite this central role, OH has historically been marginalised within medical and nursing curricula, resulting in gaps in graduate competence across prevention, early recognition, and management of common oral conditions[4]. These gaps contribute to missed opportunities for early intervention and reinforce the artificial separation of oral and general health care. Integrating OH into medical and nursing education through a competency-based, primary health care-oriented approach supports comprehensive, patient-centred care by equipping graduates with clearly defined context-appropriate capabilities that can be applied within routine clinical practice. Importantly, such integration advances equity by expanding access to OH care through existing health system contact points[5], rather than relying on parallel, dentist-centred service delivery models that remain inaccessible to many populations[6].
METHODS:
This one-hour interactive workshop is designed for public health educators, curriculum leaders, and health professionals involved in medical and nursing training. It commences with a short lecture outlining the public health rationale for integrating OH into health professions education, including key content areas and competency domains. Participants then break into small, facilitated groups to examine real-world curricular scenarios and identify feasible entry points for integrating OH into medical and nursing curricula.
RESULTS:
The workshop will generate a set of practical strategies for integrating OH into medical and nursing curricula across diverse contexts. Outputs include mapped curricular entry points and shared teaching approaches. Conclusion. Integrating OH into medical and nursing education is feasible and necessary to strengthen holistic, equitable health care. This workshop provides participants with actionable strategies to embed OH meaningfully within existing curricula, supporting improved patient care and more integrated health systems.
Medical practitioners and nurses are frontline health professionals and are often the first point of contact for patients presenting with oral health (OH) concerns[1-3]. Despite this central role, OH has historically been marginalised within medical and nursing curricula, resulting in gaps in graduate competence across prevention, early recognition, and management of common oral conditions[4]. These gaps contribute to missed opportunities for early intervention and reinforce the artificial separation of oral and general health care. Integrating OH into medical and nursing education through a competency-based, primary health care-oriented approach supports comprehensive, patient-centred care by equipping graduates with clearly defined context-appropriate capabilities that can be applied within routine clinical practice. Importantly, such integration advances equity by expanding access to OH care through existing health system contact points[5], rather than relying on parallel, dentist-centred service delivery models that remain inaccessible to many populations[6].
METHODS:
This one-hour interactive workshop is designed for public health educators, curriculum leaders, and health professionals involved in medical and nursing training. It commences with a short lecture outlining the public health rationale for integrating OH into health professions education, including key content areas and competency domains. Participants then break into small, facilitated groups to examine real-world curricular scenarios and identify feasible entry points for integrating OH into medical and nursing curricula.
RESULTS:
The workshop will generate a set of practical strategies for integrating OH into medical and nursing curricula across diverse contexts. Outputs include mapped curricular entry points and shared teaching approaches. Conclusion. Integrating OH into medical and nursing education is feasible and necessary to strengthen holistic, equitable health care. This workshop provides participants with actionable strategies to embed OH meaningfully within existing curricula, supporting improved patient care and more integrated health systems.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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