Oral health messages for Australia: A national consensus statement

Abstract

Background

Oral health promotion initiatives must be evidence-based and consistent with broader health messaging. The Oral Health Messages for the Australian Public were first produced in 2009 and sought to enable a focused, and strategic approach to oral health promotion in Australia. As the evidence base and needs of the Australian population have since changed, this consensus statement was updated in 2022–2023.

Methods

The process of updating the messages consisted of 3 phases (preparatory phase, the Delphi technique, final revision phase). The preparatory phase included public and expert consultation, an umbrella review of published scientific literature and review of available recommendations, policies and guidelines. The Delphi technique used in this study was guided by Guidance on Conducting and REporting DElphi Studies (CREDES) and included 2 voting rounds. There were 70 experts in round 1 and 60 experts in round 2. Delphi participants comprised of experts from a variety of fields to ensure diversity and inclusion, balance expertise and maximize stakeholder representation. Consensus was defined as 75% agreement.

Results

A total of 11 messages were included in the 2022 update of Oral Health Messages for Australia.

Conclusion

The updated oral health messages will support oral health promotion policy and activity at both individual and population level to improve the oral health of Australians.