Access to adolescent-responsive oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive healthcare services in Africa through dental clinics
In many healthcare systems, oral healthcare is provided separately from other clinical services. For 10–19-year-old adolescents in particular, this separation of care perpetuates the underutilization of oral health services and the neglect of oral health. Available evidence indicates that there are...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Oral Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/froh.2025.1545988/full |
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| author | Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu Chinye Osa-Afiana Maha El Tantawi Maha El Tantawi Maha El Tantawi Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan |
| author_facet | Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu Chinye Osa-Afiana Maha El Tantawi Maha El Tantawi Maha El Tantawi Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan |
| author_sort | Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In many healthcare systems, oral healthcare is provided separately from other clinical services. For 10–19-year-old adolescents in particular, this separation of care perpetuates the underutilization of oral health services and the neglect of oral health. Available evidence indicates that there are interconnections between oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive health (OMSRH) in adolescents. For African countries, there are opportunities to draw on lessons learned from HIV-centered models of integrated care to develop and evaluate dental clinic-centered models for integrating adolescent OMSRH services. This article makes a case for evidence-based adolescent OMSRH service integration in African countries. Integration is expected to align with the principles of sustainable development goals, universal healthcare, and the World Health Organization's calls for adolescent-responsive health services. We present a conceptual framework and propose an implementation science-guided blueprint for the integration of adolescent OMSRH care. The focus on dental clinics for integration can potentially increase access to, and use of oral healthcare while addressing adolescents’ mental, sexual and reproductive health needs. OMSRH integration for adolescents in African settings will require intensive engagement of adolescents and other crucial stakeholders. Further exploratory and implementation research is also needed to design and evaluate OMSRH integration models to establish best practices for long-term impact on adolescent health outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eb437ffb3d5f48b9947d58e64d52e094 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-4842 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Oral Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-eb437ffb3d5f48b9947d58e64d52e0942025-08-20T02:20:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oral Health2673-48422025-04-01610.3389/froh.2025.15459881545988Access to adolescent-responsive oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive healthcare services in Africa through dental clinicsNadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu0Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu1Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu2Chinye Osa-Afiana3Maha El Tantawi4Maha El Tantawi5Maha El Tantawi6Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan7Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan8Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan9International Research Center of Excellence, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, Abuja, NigeriaDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences, Cape Coast, GhanaGlobal Pediatrics Program and Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United StatesInternational Research Center of Excellence, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, Abuja, NigeriaFaculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Alexandria, EgyptOral Health Initiative, Center for Reproduction and Population Health Studies, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, NigeriaAfrica Oral Health Network, Alexandria University, Alexandria, EgyptOral Health Initiative, Center for Reproduction and Population Health Studies, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, NigeriaAfrica Oral Health Network, Alexandria University, Alexandria, EgyptDepartment of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, NigeriaIn many healthcare systems, oral healthcare is provided separately from other clinical services. For 10–19-year-old adolescents in particular, this separation of care perpetuates the underutilization of oral health services and the neglect of oral health. Available evidence indicates that there are interconnections between oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive health (OMSRH) in adolescents. For African countries, there are opportunities to draw on lessons learned from HIV-centered models of integrated care to develop and evaluate dental clinic-centered models for integrating adolescent OMSRH services. This article makes a case for evidence-based adolescent OMSRH service integration in African countries. Integration is expected to align with the principles of sustainable development goals, universal healthcare, and the World Health Organization's calls for adolescent-responsive health services. We present a conceptual framework and propose an implementation science-guided blueprint for the integration of adolescent OMSRH care. The focus on dental clinics for integration can potentially increase access to, and use of oral healthcare while addressing adolescents’ mental, sexual and reproductive health needs. OMSRH integration for adolescents in African settings will require intensive engagement of adolescents and other crucial stakeholders. Further exploratory and implementation research is also needed to design and evaluate OMSRH integration models to establish best practices for long-term impact on adolescent health outcomes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/froh.2025.1545988/fulladolescentsdelivery of healthcarehealth service integrationdental clinicsHIVAfrica |
| spellingShingle | Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu Chinye Osa-Afiana Maha El Tantawi Maha El Tantawi Maha El Tantawi Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan Moréniké Oluwátóyìn Foláyan Access to adolescent-responsive oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive healthcare services in Africa through dental clinics Frontiers in Oral Health adolescents delivery of healthcare health service integration dental clinics HIV Africa |
| title | Access to adolescent-responsive oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive healthcare services in Africa through dental clinics |
| title_full | Access to adolescent-responsive oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive healthcare services in Africa through dental clinics |
| title_fullStr | Access to adolescent-responsive oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive healthcare services in Africa through dental clinics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Access to adolescent-responsive oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive healthcare services in Africa through dental clinics |
| title_short | Access to adolescent-responsive oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive healthcare services in Africa through dental clinics |
| title_sort | access to adolescent responsive oral mental sexual and reproductive healthcare services in africa through dental clinics |
| topic | adolescents delivery of healthcare health service integration dental clinics HIV Africa |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/froh.2025.1545988/full |
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