Oral health promotion interventions for people who use drugs: A scoping review.

Authors

John Leslie, Thushani Wijesiri, Stuart Bradwel, Megan Crichton, Scott McGregor, Niall Mc Goldrick

Published in

Community dental health. Pages 265539X261477737. Aug 16, 2026. Epub Aug 16, 2026.

Abstract

People who use drugs often have poor oral health. It is therefore important to understand what evidence exists to support oral health improvement for them. This review aimed to identify and describe the existing literature on oral health promotion interventions for people who use drugs. The Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-SrC) guided the review. A search was performed on PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Social Services Abstracts and Web of Science. A grey literature search also took place. The population was people who use drugs. The concept was any health promotion intervention in line with the Ottawa Charter. The context was any healthcare, community or social setting. Data extraction focused on study characteristics, main findings, and health promotion activity. A total of 1061 records were screened. Thirteen records met the inclusion criteria, mainly encompassing text and opinion pieces or qualitative records focused on oral health promotion. The included records described a range of interventions across inpatient, community, and opioid treatment settings. They included subsidised care, integrated screening and referral pathways, tailored oral health education and harm-reduction advice, multidisciplinary collaboration, and supportive, non-judgmental environments. In conclusion this review highlights an evidence gap in relation to how best to approach oral health promotion for this population. Future research should focus on developing interventions using an established intervention development methodology i.e. theory and co-design, followed by research that aims to understand effectiveness.

PMID:
42604796
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Aug 2026.

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