Oral Health in Municipal and Community Public Health Plans

Objectives: Municipal policies and plans can determine resource allocation, and influence infrastructure, services, settings, workforce and social environments at a local level. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of inclusion of oral health related content in local government and community public health plans. Methods: All available Victorian government and community public health plans (n=233) were audited to determine the citations in relation to oral health. These included: Primary Care Partnership (PCP) Integrated Health Promotion (IHP) Plans; Municipal Public Health Plans (MPHPs) and Municipal Early Years Plans (MEYPs); the Integrated Health Promotion (IHP) Plans from Victorian Community Health (CH) and Women's Health (WH). Examinations considered mentions by program name (eg DHSV or Smiles 4/for Miles) or more general oral health related terms (eg oral health, dental, caries, check-up, tooth brushing, decay, fluoride, fluoridation, mouth guards, tap water). Assessments were made of these mentions across three areas of the Plans: “Goals or priorities”; “Objectives”; and “Strategy, intervention and actions”. Results: Six Plans out of the 233 included oral health in their goals, although this includes one Plan which represents 9 agencies. Within the Plan objectives, oral health was mentioned in 10 Plans, while objectives related to oral health or healthy eating for young children (0-6 years old) were found in 56 Plans. Within Plan strategies, oral health was frequently mentioned, with 70 Plans articulating oral health or healthy eating interventions targeting young children. Explicit mention of oral health anywhere within a Plan was found to be higher in MPHPs (43.5%) and MEYPs (44%), compared to the other types of Plans. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate opportunities for greater emphasis on oral health particularly within goals and objectives of municipal plans, and the need to develop strategies to raise awareness and place oral health on the agenda.