Acceptance of preventive measures by individuals, institutions and communities

The acceptance by individuals, institutions and communities of preventive measures for controlling the two most prevalent dental diseases, dental caries and periodontal disease, is limited. A wide gap exists between available preventive methods and their appropriate application. Adoption of preventive dental self-care (tooth brushing, flossing diet modification) is organized around five categories of determinants influencing oral health behaviours: psychological factors; face-to-face interactions between people; broad societal influences; information and the immediate surroundings; and reinforcement schemes. While each of these five categories of determinants influences adoption of the desired behaviours, altering any single factor does not usually result in sustained behaviour change. Institutions (e.g. schools and workplaces) and communities are sites where the determinants of individual behaviours can be altered and preventive services can be delivered. Very little research has been conducted to improve our understanding of the variables which explain why dental health prevention programmes are accepted or rejected by institutions or communities. When programmes are adopted, little is known about the accuracy of their administration or about barriers to, and problems in, their implementation and maintenance. To achieve optimal oral health throughout life, a combination of passive measures (e.g. water fluoridation, school-based fluoride programmes) and active personal behaviours (e.g. oral hygiene, diet control) is required. Therefore, it is essential that researchers and practitioners improve their understanding of the acceptance of passive measures by institutions and communities as well as their understanding of the adoption of active measures by individuals.