Perceptions of mental disorder causes, treatments, and prevention among the general population in Saudi Arabia.

This study investigates the community's perception of mental health in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing its influence on attitudes toward the causes, treatment, and prevention of mental health issues. This understanding is vital for creating evidence-based mental health interventions. A cross-sectional national mental health screening was conducted in 2023, utilizing proportional quota sampling for age, gender, and regional representation among 4547 Saudi participants aged 18-90, randomly selected from national databases. Data were gathered using the ZDataCloud system. The study covered all 13 administrative regions of Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Qassim, Eastern Province, Asir, Tabuk, Hail, Northern Borders, Jazan, Najran, Baha, and Al-Jouf. The majority (86.5%) had no personal history of mental health diagnosis or treatment. Key findings identified psychological trauma (78.36%) and substance abuse (72.88%) as primary perceived causes of mental disorders. Preferred treatments included non-pharmacological psychotherapies (74.97%) and pharmacological methods (71.08%). Prevention strategies focused on raising awareness of mental illness (80.4%) and enhancing positive relationships (70.6%). A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between demographic variables and perceptions of mental disorder causes, treatments, and prevention strategies. Females were more likely than males to perceive psychological trauma, drug and alcohol abuse, and domestic violence and sexual harassment as causes of mental disorders. Regarding treatments, females and those with personal or close connections to mental health issues were more likely to endorse non-pharmacological psychotherapy and Roquia in the Qur'an. For prevention strategies, females, those with a mental health diagnosis, and those living with someone diagnosed with a mental disorder were more likely to endorse increasing awareness, positive social relationships, and physical activity. The study suggests integrating religious and social beliefs into mental health programs to enhance community engagement and effectiveness.

The Influence of Billboard-Based Tobacco Prevention Posters on Memorization, Attitudes, and Craving: Immersive Virtual Reality Study.

BACKGROUND: Health prevention campaigns often face challenges in reaching their target audience and achieving the desired impact on health behaviors. These campaigns, particularly those aimed at reducing tobacco use, require rigorous evaluation methods to assess their effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to use immersive virtual reality (iVR) to systematically evaluate recall, attitudinal, and craving responses to antitobacco prevention messages when presented in a realistic virtual environment, thereby exploring the potential of iVR as a novel tool to improve the effectiveness of public health campaigns. METHODS: A total of 121 undergraduate students (mean age 19.6, SD 3.7 years), mostly female (n=99, 82.5%), were invited to take a guided walk in the virtual environment, where they were randomly exposed to a different ratio of prevention and general advertising posters (80/20 or 20/80) depending on the experimental condition. Participants' gaze was tracked throughout the procedure, and outcomes were assessed after the iVR exposure. RESULTS: Incidental exposure to antitobacco prevention and general advertising posters did not significantly alter attitudes toward tobacco. Memorization of prevention posters was unexpectedly better in the condition where advertising was more frequent (ß=-6.15; P<.001), and high contrast between poster types led to a better memorization of the less frequent type. Despite a nonsignificant trend, directing attention to prevention posters slightly improved their memorization (ß=.02; P=.07). In addition, the duration of exposure to prevention posters relative to advertisements negatively affected memorization of advertising posters (ß=-2.30; P=.01). CONCLUSIONS: Although this study did not find significant changes in attitudes toward tobacco after exposure to prevention campaigns using iVR, the technology does show promise as an evaluation tool. To fully evaluate the use of iVR in public health prevention strategies, future research should examine different types of content, longer exposure durations, and different contexts. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework E3YK7; https://osf.io/e3yk7.

Wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.): a review of the current evidence of nutritional and preventive health benefits.

Thymus serpyllum L. (Lamiaceae), known in English as 'wild thyme', is primarily found in the Palearctic realm (Eurasia, North Africa) and has been utilized traditionally for culinary, nutritional, medicinal, and aromatic purposes. The essential oil extracted from wild thyme is particularly noteworthy, being used extensively in the food industry as a flavoring agent and preservative. The plant's aerial parts are commonly employed as an element of the diet (e.g., tea)/for culinary uses and in local/traditional medicine (primarily for managing respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions), similar to the use of common thyme. There is practically no information available on the species' nutritional benefits. Pharmacological studies, including in vitro and in vivo research, alongside a limited number of clinical trials, have investigated extracts of Thymus serpyllum, although these extracts are often phytochemically poorly characterized in different experimental protocols and models. These studies have demonstrated a range of therapeutic effects, such as antimicrobial (notably the essential oil) and anti-inflammatory, as well as its preventative health benefits and nutritional value of wild thyme. Preclinical studies have corroborated the plant's anti-inflammatory potential, particularly in conditions like inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and irritable bowel syndromes (IBS). Additionally, evidence of hepatoprotective activities and benefits in managing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular health issues, such as lipid metabolism regulation, cholesterol reduction, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and immunomodulatory effects, have been observed predominantly in rodent models. Phytochemical analysis of wild thyme reveals an essential oil fraction below 1%, along with non-volatile compounds predominantly comprising phenolic acids (such as rosmarinic, salvianolic, and caffeic acids) and flavonoids (mainly glucosides of luteolin, apigenin, and their derivatives). These components are believed to contribute significantly to the plant's medicinal, nutritional, and preventive health properties. Despite promising findings, there is a need for more rigorously designed controlled clinical trials using phytochemically characterized wild thyme. The plant has an excellent safety and tolerability record. This review at the interface of nutritional/preventive health properties and as pharmacological activities highlights the current role of wild thyme in nutrition and general healthcare as well as its future potential, and also points to important gaps in the literature.

Total worker health® based Helicobacter pylori public health prevention strategy.

Purpose of review: This review aims to explore the public health approach for Helicobacter pylori Infection Prevention within the Total Worker Health (TWH) framework strategy. Recent findings: The review identifies certain occupations considered high-risk groups for H. pylori infection. It underscores primary, secondary, and tertiary public health preventive measures align with the TWH approach. Within this framework, the role of raising awareness, emphasizing infection control, worker hygiene, risk assessment, and ensuring healthcare accessibility is emphasized. The importance of early detection, treatment, eradication, and a TWH approach emerges as a central theme. The TWH approach offers a holistic perspective, intertwining occupation-related health risks with overall health and well being. Summary: Adopting the TWH approach, coupled with household-based infection control and eradication strategies, can significantly reduce H. pylori prevalence, fostering a healthier workforce and diminishing long-term healthcare costs. The review underscores the importance of recognizing H. pylori as an occupational disease. It calls for further research into the "one-health" perspective on H. pylori transmission dynamics.

Hepatitis B Elimination Globally-The Answer May Not Be the Same for Everyone.

While progress has been made towards global elimination of hepatitis B virus, many countries lag behind. A one-size-fits-all approach is not practical to address HBV. Rather, the approach should be tailored to local prevalence, risk factors and available resources.

Optimizing Older Adult Mental Health in Support of Healthy Ageing: A Pluralistic Framework to Inform Transformative Change across Community and Healthcare Domains.

This paper describes a pluralistic framework to inform transformative change across community and healthcare domains to optimize the mental health of older adults in support of healthy ageing. An extensive review and analysis of the literature informed the creation of a framework that contextualizes the priority areas of the WHO Decade of Health Ageing (ageism, age-friendly environments, long-term care, and integrated care) with respect to older adult mental health. The framework additionally identifies barriers, facilitators, and strategies for action at macro (social/system), meso (services/supports), and micro (older adults) levels of influence. This conceptual (analytical) framework is intended as a tool to inform planning and decision-making across policy, practice, education and training, research, and knowledge mobilization arenas. The framework described in this paper can be used by countries around the globe to build evidence, set priorities, and scale up promising practices (both nationally and sub-nationally) to optimize the mental health and healthy ageing trajectories of older adults as a population.

The specialist community practitioner district nurse's role in optimising COPD.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a long-term condition affecting all aspects of an individual's life. Specialist Community practitioner district nurses (SCPDN) manage patients with multiple co morbidities on their caseload, and as such require an extensive clinical knowledge base. COPD is a highly prevalent and complex disease; therefore, individualised holistic assessments are required to ensure patients receive personalised and evidence-based care. Care delivery must include an awareness of health interventions encompassing, screening, health promotion and prevention. The SCPDN's consideration of the physical, mental and social determinants which adversely affect the health of the individual with COPD is imperative to deliver high quality care to the individuals, families and communities.

Exploring the Threefold Viewpoint on Children's Oral Health in a Cross-Sectional Study.

Oral health is situated within the framework of the global health agenda, addressing facets pertaining to well-being and quality of life. The research is based on the need to address variables at the community level to improve schoolchildren's oral health and promote healthy behaviors and aims to carry out an in-depth analysis from the perspective of the factors that influence children's oral health. Step 1, designed by the World Health Organization, was utilized. An easy-to-use web interface was created for data collection. The statistical analysis consisted of using multinomial and binominal logistic regression models. The level of education of the adult has a high probability of influencing the consumption of unhealthy or healthy foods, it has a significant probability of exerting influence on social or medical problems and a correlation was found between the level of academic education and the pattern of dental visits. The development of health-promoting behaviors begins in childhood and involves parents, who have an essential role in the education of their children. Oral health promotion programs in schools need to target the child-adult-teacher-dentist relationships. Taking into consideration the aforementioned, a threefold viewpoint is necessary for the development of a national program aimed at promoting the oral health of schoolchildren in Romania.

Contribution of environmental determinants to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in a life-course perspective: a systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Prevention policies against type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) focus solely on individual healthy lifestyle behaviours, while an increasing body of research recognises the involvement of environmental determinants (ED) (cultural norms of land management and planning, local foodscape, built environment, pollution, and neighbourhood deprivation). Precise knowledge of this relationship is essential to proposing a prevention strategy integrating public health and spatial planning. Unfortunately, issues related to the consistency and synthesis of methods, and results in this field of research limit the development of preventive strategies. This systematic review aims to improve knowledge about the relationship between the risk of developing T2DM in adulthood and long-term exposure to its ED during childhood or teenage years. METHODS: This protocol is presented according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) tools. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, EBSCO, and grey literature from the Laval University Libraries databases will be used for data collection on main concepts such as 'type 2 diabetes mellitus', 'zoning' or 'regional, urban, or rural areas land uses', 'local food landscape', 'built environment', 'pollution', and 'deprivation'. The Covidence application will store the collected data for selection and extraction based on the Population Exposure Comparator Outcome and Study design approach (PECOS). Studies published until December 31, 2023, in English or French, used quantitative data about individuals aged 18 and over that report on T2DM, ED (cultural norms of land management and planning, local foodscape, built environment, and neighbourhood deprivation), and their association (involving only risk estimators) will be included. Then, study quality and risk of bias will be conducted according to the combined criteria and ratings from the ROBINS-E (Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies-of Exposures) tools and the 'Effective Public Health Practice Project' (EPHPP). Finally, the analytical synthesis will be produced using the 'Synthesis Without Meta-analysis' (SWiM) guidelines. DISCUSSION: This systematic review will summarise available evidence on ED associated with T2DM. The results will contribute to improving current knowledge and developing more efficient cross-sectoral interventions in land management and public health in this field of research. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42023392073.

Evolution of Primary Research Studies in Digital Interventions for Mental Well-Being Promotion from 2004 to 2023: A Bibliometric Analysis of Studies on the Web of Science.

Research into digital interventions for mental well-being promotion has grown in recent years, fuelled by the need to improve mental health prevention strategies and respond to challenges arising from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This bibliometric analysis provides a structured overview of publication trends and themes in primary research studies reporting an array of digital interventions indexed at WoS from 2004 to 2023. Bibliometric data were collected on a sample of 1117 documents and analysed using the Biblioshiny package. Supplemental network visualisation analysis was conducted using VosViewer. The study, based on Web of Science and Scopus databases, indicates a marked increase in publications post-2020. There were seven groups of research themes clustered around "Mindfulness", "Anxiety", "COVID-19", "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy", "Depression", "Web-based", and "Positive Psychology". Further, results demonstrated the growth of specific themes (e.g., mindfulness, mhealth), the defining impact of COVID-19 studies, and the importance of both randomised controlled trials and formative research. Overall, research in the field is still early in its development and is expected to continue to grow. Findings highlight the field's dynamic response to societal and technological changes, suggesting a future trajectory that leans increasingly on digital platforms for mental health promotion and intervention. Finally, study limitations and implications for future studies are discussed.

An mHealth Application in German Health Care System: Importance of User Participation in the Development Process.

This paper addresses the challenges and solutions in developing a holistic prevention mobile health application (mHealth app) for Germany's healthcare sector. Despite Germany's lag in healthcare digitalization, the app aims to enhance primary prevention in physical activity, nutrition, and stress management. A significant focus is on user participation and usability to counter the prevalent issue of user attrition in mHealth applications, as described by Eysenbach's 'law of attrition'. The development process, conducted in a scientific and university context, faces constraints like limited budgets and external service providers. The study firstly presents the structure and functionality of the app for people with statutory health insurance in Germany and secondly the implementation of user participation through a usability study. User participation is executed via usability tests, particularly the think-aloud method, where users verbalize their thoughts while using the app. This approach has proven effective in identifying and resolving usability issues, although some user feedback could not be implemented due to cost-benefit considerations. The implementation of this study into the development process was able to show that user participation, facilitated by methods like think-aloud, is vital for developing mHealth apps. Especially in health prevention, where long-term engagement is a challenge. The findings highlight the importance of allocating time and resources for user participation in the development of mHealth applications.

Whole-family programmes for families living with parental mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Several interventions have been developed to support families living with parental mental illness (PMI). Recent evidence suggests that programmes with whole-family components may have greater positive effects for families, thereby also reducing costs to health and social care systems. This review aimed to identify whole-family interventions, their common characteristics, effectiveness and acceptability. A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A literature search was conducted in ASSIA, CINAHL, Embase, Medline, and PsycINFO in January 2021 and updated in August 2022. We double screened 3914 abstracts and 212 papers according to pre-set inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used for quality assessment. Quantitative and qualitative data were extracted and synthesised. Randomised-control trial data on child and parent mental health outcomes were analysed separately in random-effects meta-analyses. The protocol, extracted data, and meta-data are accessible via the Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/9uxgp/ ). Data from 66 reports-based on 41 independent studies and referring to 30 different interventions-were included. Findings indicated small intervention effects for all outcomes including children's and parents' mental health (dc = -0.017, -027; dp = -0.14, -0.16) and family outcomes. Qualitative evidence suggested that most families experienced whole-family interventions as positive, highlighting specific components as helpful, including whole-family components, speaking about mental illness, and the benefits of group settings. Our findings highlight the lack of high-quality studies. The present review fills an important gap in the literature by summarising the evidence for whole-family interventions. There is a lack of robust evidence coupled with a great need in families affected by PMI which could be addressed by whole-family interventions. We recommend the involvement of families in the further development of these interventions and their evaluation.

An exploration of the influencing factors for effective public health messaging during disasters: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: Public health messaging during disasters help to provide knowledge and guidance for preventative behaviours and risk reduction. The aim of this review is to explore how public health messages are currently being provided during disasters and identify what influencing factors contribute to the effectiveness of these messages. STUDY DESIGN: Scoping review. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted using guidance from Joanna Briggs Methodology for Scoping Reviews. A narrative synthesis was utilised due to the heterogeneity of findings. The review included seventeen sources, addressing a variety of disasters around the globe over the past two decades. RESULTS: Three key influencing factors were identified and are illustrated in a concept model called the Audience, Information, Messenger and Mode (AIMM) Public Health Messaging Scale. This conceptual model depicts considerations such as the quantity, quality, and framing of information, the human and technological sources used for delivery and the audience needs and capabilities required for optimal message impact and effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Public health messages do influence prevention behaviours during disasters, but they must be carefully tailored and delivered to ensure adequate reach, comprehension, and compliance.

Beyond Diagnosis: Preliminary Study of Impact on Children and Parents in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Uveitis.

Chronic diseases are a growing problem for global health due to the large number of people they involve, the repercussions they have on the mental and physical well-being of those affected, and the costs to society. Particularly, chronic illnesses of childhood have important psychological implications, not only for affected children but also for their parents. Among these pathologies, neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA-U) may affect mental and physical health, emotions, memory, learning, and socializing. This study evaluates the psychological and behavioral/emotional impact of NDDs and JIA-U on children and parents. Specifically, 30 children with active JIA-U and 30 children with NDDs and their parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Parent Stress Index-Short Form (PSI) questionnaires. Children with NDDs have statistically significant differences in all the emotional and behavioral variables compared to JIA-U children, and parents of children with NDDs experience an increased stress load compared to parents of children with JIA-U. This study emphasizes the wide range of emotional and behavioral challenges that parents face with NDDs. This study emphasizes that parents of children with NDDs not only experience higher levels of stress compared to parents of normally developing children but also experience higher levels of stress compared to parents of children with potentially debilitating chronic diseases such as JIA-U.

Aktualisierung zu: Leitfaden zur Vorbeugung, Erfassung und Sanierung von Schimmelbefall in Gebäuden (2017) ­ Kapitel 6.1 "Nutzungsklassen".

The guidelines published by the German Environment Agency in 2017 on the "Prevention, detection and remediation of mould in buildings" were clarified in two points. First, Chapter 6.1 "Utilisation classes" now includes the definition of an "indoor space" in relation to human use. Second, the previous utilisation class IV - which concerned cavities and building components - was removed. These changes avoid misinterpretations and emphasise the hygiene-preventive approach of the guideline. An English full-text version of this article is available at SpringerLink as Supplementary Information.

Health Prevention Interventions for Adults in the Community: A Scoping Review of Intervention Characteristics.

This scoping review was designed to determine which adults receive preventative health interventions, the types of interventions for modifiable risk factors, the health professionals, including occupational therapy practitioners providing these interventions, and where they are delivered to adults in the community. The databases searched were PubMed, Ageline, and CINAHL and included research meeting the inclusion criteria and published between 2016-2021. All included studies addressed health prevention. 5,399 articles were screened with 83 of these included in the final review. Older adults, White and Black individuals, and females were the most prevalent individuals and groups to receive health prevention interventions and occupational therapy professionals were involved in 5% of the reviewed studies. As there is a need for preventative health interventions to help reduce negative health outcomes and occupational therapy professionals have important skills in health prevention this study illustrates the types of health prevention provided to adults receiving intervention in the community and points to areas of opportunity for occupational therapy professionals.

Effectiveness of video-based health promotion: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although health promotion scholars and practitioners frequently employ video-based promotion, its effectiveness remains uncertain due to mixed findings. Nuanced details regarding content and design also remain under-explored. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search across nine databases to identify relevant empirical research articles. RESULTS: Our systematic review included a total of 54 studies, with 38 studies eligible for meta-analysis. Findings highlight the promising potential of video messaging strategies in promoting health behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should focus on designing video content that targets detection behaviors within an appropriate length, guided by robust theoretical frameworks to maximize the efficacy of video promotion. More substantial evidence is needed to assess whether video promotion can achieve similar persuasive effectiveness across diverse cultural, political, and economic circumstances. Factors related to the audience (e.g., distinct psychological and personality influences) and message characteristics (e.g., length, credibility) should be further explored to better elucidate the relationship between video-based health promotion and health outcomes. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Health practitioners and organizations should incorporate video-based messages in interventions as supplement or alternative means to educate audiences of positive prevention methods, establish accurate attitude and intentions toward prevention behaviors, and increase their vigilance toward risky behaviors.

Participatory Action Research as a Driver for Health Promotion and Prevention: A Co-creation Process Between Professionals and Citizens in a Deprived Neighbourhood in the Hague.

Introduction: Ignited by the persistent health inequalities many cities and neighbourhoods, the 'Healthy and Happy The Hague' network in the Netherlands wanted to gain insight in how prevention and health promotion could become successful in one deprived neighbourhood, Moerwijk. Methods: The cycle of Look-Think-Act of Participatory Action Research was used in which both citizens and professionals got involved from the start. Besides interviews, field notes were analysed, visualised and discussed in several rounds of focus groups. Results: Thematic analysis yielded seven themes: Healthy Eating and Exercise, Healthy Money, Healthy Mind, Healthy Relationships, Growing up healthy, Healthy Environment and Healthy Collaboration. During sessions around combination of themes, eight initiatives were co-created by citizens and professionals together, improving the feeling of ownership and interconnectedness. Discussion and conclusion: This PAR sheds a light on the mismatch between the system world's solutions for individuals and the living world's needs for solutions for the collective. Findings provides a better insight into the social, political, and cultural mechanisms and processes that influence clustering and interaction of health conditions. PAR is a promising process of citizens and professionals working together is an excellent way to learn about the conditions under which people experience health inequalities, and how to combat these inequalities.

Why we should focus more attention on uncertainty distress and intolerance of uncertainty in adolescents and emerging adults.

Sivertsen et al. (2023) showed that adolescents endorsing high levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms are at risk of increased mental health problems during emerging adulthood and suggested the existence of both homotypic and heterotypic continuities of mental disorders over time. Since adolescence and emerging adulthood are transition periods highly intertwined with uncertainty, the present perspective contextualizes the findings by Sivertsen et al. (2023) in relation to the extant literature on intolerance of uncertainty and the recently developed Uncertainty Distress Model. Moreover, it claims for further research addressing the way adolescents and emerging adults process and deal with uncertainty. Indeed, focusing more attention on the implications of trans-situational and trans-diagnostic constructs such as uncertainty distress and intolerance of uncertainty in these life stages may hold great promise to design and implement effective mental health prevention programs.

A professional and institutional organization based on the "Aller vers" dynamic / Un acteur professionnel et institutionnel fondé sur la dynamique du « Aller Vers ¼

The French Union for Oral Health (UFSBD) embodies a professional initiative in institutional form, based on the philosophy of "Aller vers" (going toward). Based on plural representation, it brings together a variety of dentists, who are representative of the diversity of practices, whether in urban or rural areas, as employees or independent practitioners, or in local practice or hospital contexts. Proximity to the public is the very essence of its action and gives it a good understanding of realities on the ground. Since its creation, the UFSBD has been engaged in an ever-evolving collective mission, adapting its efforts to the changing needs of society and citizens. Its bold approach goes beyond the traditional boundaries of dental practice, by reaching out to the most vulnerable people and those furthest from the health system. This translates into an inclusive, proactive, and local approach. This dynamic has played a decisive role in advocating, since the 1990s, the recognition of oral health as an essential component of general health. Despite the obstacles and the time required to change mentalities, the UFSBD persevered, particularly regarding the challenge that periodontal diseases represent for oral health. Challenges persist, particularly with regard to access to prevention for populations at risk, population aging, and the integration of oral health into overall care pathways. However, the main objective remains that oral health regains its place as an undeniable national priority. Indeed, the mouth is at the heart of general health and can play an essential transversal role in public health.

L'Union Française pour la Santé Bucco-dentaire (UFSBD) incarne une initiative professionnelle sous forme institutionnelle qui repose sur la philosophie du « Aller Vers ¼. Fondée sur une représentation plurielle, elle réunit une diversité de Chirurgiens-dentistes, qui sont représentatifs de la diversité des pratiques, que ce soit en milieu urbain ou rural, en tant que salariés ou praticiens libéraux, dans des contextes citadins ou hospitaliers. Cette proximité avec les populations est l'essence même de son action et lui donne une bonne vision des réalités de terrain. Depuis ses débuts, l'UFSBD s'est engagée dans une mission collective en constante évolution, adaptant ses efforts aux besoins changeants de la société et des citoyens. Son approche audacieuse dépasse les frontières traditionnelles des cabinets dentaires, en se lançant à la rencontre des populations les plus vulnérables et éloignées du système de santé. Cela se traduit par une approche inclusive, proactive et de proximité. Cette dynamique a joué un rôle déterminant en plaidant, depuis les années 90, pour la reconnaissance de la santé bucco-dentaire en tant que composante essentielle de la santé générale. Malgré les freins et le temps nécessaire des plaidoyers pour faire évoluer les mentalités, l'UFSBD a persévéré, en particulier dans le défi que représentent les maladies parodontales pour la santé bucco-dentaire. Des défis perdurent, notamment en ce qui concerne l'accès à la prévention pour les populations à risques, le vieillissement de la population et l'intégration de la santé bucco-dentaire dans les parcours de soins globaux. Cependant, l'objectif principal demeure que la santé bucco-dentaire retrouve sa place de priorité nationale incontestable. En effet, la bouche est au cœur de la santé générale et peut jouer un rôle transversal essentiel en santé publique.