Envisioning sustainable oral health through effective advocacy

In recent years, global commitments have endeavored to reduce the burden of oral diseases. To maintain this momentum, effective advocacy for sustainable oral health is needed to raise public awareness, garner support, and guide policy makers. However, there has been limited use of evidence-based frameworks and approaches to design and measure the impact of oral health advocacy efforts. The 2nd Global Oral Health Forum (GOHF II) was hosted in April 2024 over a 2-day period to reflect on and discuss effective advocacy approaches and strategies for sustainable oral health. Four thematic sessions were organized around advocacy including health policies, health economics, patients, and planetary health. Each session featured eminent transdisciplinary speakers followed by group discussions centered around ideas, experiences, and perspectives from forum participants. The outcome of the forum was a compilation of ten actionable recommendations for moving forward with effective advocacy in oral health. These recommendations are envisioned to help build and strengthen coalitions of like-minded stakeholders in and outside the oral health community to advocate for policies that support sustainable oral health and equitable access to oral health care.