1.2 FDI Vision 2020 framework for optimal oral health

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to their patients. In contrast, collaborative practice is defined as a dynamic process when “multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, carers and communities to deliver the highest quality care” (WHO 2010). In this document, healthcare professionals are exclusively defined as qualified and legally recognized providers, and of course it does not include or support illegal practice of oral health under the excuse of collaborative practice.

Collaborative practice empowers participants to blend their talents and achieve more than either could alone. Facilitating conditions necessary for collaborative practice include, but are not limited to, “organizational mandate, clear sets of responsibilities, a team structure, a team process, and shared goals and outcomes as well as a supportive environment” (Schober & MacKey 2004).

Collaborative practice can only be accomplished through interdisciplinary or interprofessional education (IPE), defined as a learning strategy when “students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” (WHO 2010).

IPE provides an ability to share knowledge and skills among professions and is conducive to better understanding, shared values and respect for the roles of other health professionals. It produces a “collaborative practice-ready health workforce”, which takes cooperation among health professionals one step further towards tackling emergent problems together to meet the challenges of the increasingly complex global health system (WHO 2010).

The literature does not distinguish between intra-professional education, when all students of the dental profession (e.g. dentists, dental therapists, dental assistants) are trained together and inter-professional education, when students of different health professions (e.g. dentists, physicians, nurses) have a joint educational curriculum. Therefore, this report uses the term “inter-professional education” (IPE) to refer to both intra- and interprofessional education.

Oral health is an integral part of overall health and well-being. The best attainable level of oral health is the ultimate goal of an effective oral healthcare system improving general health, once unimpeded access to oral health services is guaranteed. This is especially important for populations already in poor health, children, the economically disadvantaged and the elderly.

The organization and delivery of services for optimal oral health is context-specific and depends on a complex interplay of multiple factors, as outlined in the FDI Vision 2020 Framework (Figure 1). These factors include the changing role of the dental health profession, adequate education and training of dental health professionals, the availability of essential technologies and health infrastructure, growing need and demand for oral healthcare and the socio-economic variables or the social determinants of health. The weighted importance of these factors varies from country to country, and a variety of strategies could be employed to achieve improved access to oral healthcare and enhance health outcomes.