Human-driven environmental change is having significant consequences on our health and wellbeing. The resulting environmental shifts increasingly jeopardise public health outcomes.
The accelerating impacts of climate change and other forms of environmental degradation are reshaping the conditions in which people live, work and access healthcare. Climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, urbanisation and changing food systems are among the major environmental challenges affecting communities worldwide, with far-reaching implications for both general and oral health. Oral health is affected by climate change in multiple ways.
- Climate change can reduce access to healthcare services, increase the risk of certain conditions and consequently place additional pressure on an already stretched healthcare system.
- Climate change worsens existing health inequalities, with disadvantaged and vulnerable communities often experiencing the greatest impacts, for example increase in co-morbidities.
- Extreme weather events and environmental disruptions can limit access to dental services, delaying both preventive care and treatment.
- Changes in water quality and availability can affect oral health outcomes and the delivery of preventive oral healthcare measures.
- Environmental factors such as air pollution can contribute to poorer general health and are linked to wider health inequalities that also affect oral disease and cancer.
As well as oral health being negatively affected by climate change, health services in turn also contribute to climate change. NHS England estimates healthcare in the country contributes 4-5% of overall national emissions. Oral health treatment is resource intensive, including:
- substantial sedation
- hazardous waste;
- single-use consumables
- patient and staff travel
Moves towards preventative advice and care, offer opportunities to reduce the environmental impacts of oral healthcare, while less dental disease and invasive treatment is beneficial for individual patients alike.
Dental students are working to reduce the environmental impacts of their schools. To encourage action and accountability, students have developed a Planetary Health Report Card. This is an international metric-based tool to evaluate health professional schools on their planetary health education through five criteria:
- Curriculum
- Interdisciplinary research in health and environment
- Community outreach and advocacy
- Support for student-led initiatives
- Campus sustainability
