Introduction

Climate change, characterized by rising global temperatures, altered weather patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, is a pressing global issue with wide-ranging impacts on health. The Sixth Assessment Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has confirmed a 1.09 °C rise in the global surface temperature with the global mean sea level rising by 0.2 m over the period 1901–2018 [1]. Even the findings from the Global Risk Report 2024 suggest that the impact of climate change on everyone is expected to worsen over the next decade [2].

While the direct effects of climate change on different domains of general health have been well documented with evidence-based literature [3, 4], the implications it has on oral health and dentistry, though addressed in different forms of research papers, lack a comprehensive, exhaustive evaluation.

Climate change can also exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities, impacting access to dental care. Disadvantaged communities, already at higher risk for poor oral health, may face greater challenges in accessing dental services due to the financial and logistical impacts of climate-related disruptions. Climate change also necessitates a shift in public health priorities, which can influence funding and focus for dental health initiatives. There is a risk that oral health could become inconsequential in the face of more immediate climate-related health threats, reducing the attention and resources dedicated to preventive and corrective dental care.

Additionally, it has also been said that the impact of climate change on oral health is multidimensional; it can be direct, indirect, or remotely associated and extensive [5]. While different opinions have been reported regarding the impact of climate change on dentistry and oral health, this study was aimed at conducting a scoping review of the existing literature on the impact of climate change on dentistry and oral health.

Methods

A systematic search was carried out using key words such as “Climate change”, “Climate changes”, “Climate control”, “Climate controls”, “change, climate”, “changes, climate” “Oral Health”, “Dental Health”, “Dental Care”, “Oral Diseases”, “Dentistry”, “Dental Professionals” in PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Boolean operators were also used to combine the searches and elaborate the search strategy. We did not apply any restriction of time frame or language to the articles.

Eligibility Criteria: All the papers that assessed the relationship/impact of climate change and oral health without any restriction of time frame/ language/ study design were included in this study. Papers that reported on the impact of oral health/dentistry on climate change or those assessing the impact of climate change on anything apart from oral health and dentistry were excluded from the study.

Screening Process: A systematic approach for study selection was carried out to screen the articles for eligibility and evaluate the titles and abstracts. We manually removed the duplicates, and the full-text articles were subsequently selected for analyzing data. The discrepancies arising during this stage were resolved by the third author. The inter-rater reliability across the title/abstract and full text review stages was assessed using Cohen’s Kappa and found to be 0.89 and 0.86, respectively. The data extracted from the included articles is presented in Table 1. Details regarding the primary author, year of publication, title, type of paper, and summary/recommendation were reported.

Table 1 Characteristic table for all the included studies.
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Summary of findings

Literature search

The databases PubMed (195), Embase (278), Scopus (10), and additional sources (10) initially led to the identification of 493 records. 45 records were initially removed as they were found to be duplicates. 428 records that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded after screening the titles and abstracts. 20 papers remained, of which ten papers either reported the relationship of oral health/dentistry on climate change or included the impact of climate change only as a very small part of the report and were excluded, and thus finally 10 papers were included in the final analysis (Fig. 1) [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14].

Fig. 1
figure 1

Flowchart of records screening.

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Study characteristics

The characteristics of the included study have been presented in Table 1. The papers included in this review were carried out between 2010 and 2024. Of the included papers, the primary authors of five papers were from India, one from England, one from the United States of America, and the remaining from Pakistan, Canada, and Kenya, each. With regards to the type of papers, four papers were review papers; including a scoping review; three were letters to editor (Editorial), and two were commentary/comments, while the remaining one was qualitative.

The role of poor air quality, food/water insecurity, extreme weather events, vector-borne illnesses, and social factors on oral health has been reported in a number of papers. Findings from multiple papers have revealed the importance of health education and preventive programs in addressing the challenges imposed by climate change.

The findings from different papers have reported direct/indirect associations of climate change with oral diseases and conditions such as dental caries, dental erosion, and oral cancer; developmental defects of enamel; early childhood caries; periodontal disease; dental trauma; skeletal and dental fluorosis. The association of these diseases highlights the gravity of the potential impact of climate change on oral health and dental diseases. Additionally, studies have also highlighted the negative impact of climate change on health service provision, warns that resources may become scarce due to extreme weather events causing supply and transport problems, which may cause costs in dentistry to rise.

Discussion

This study aimed to synthesize existing literature on the intersection between climate change and dentistry and oral health through a scoping review. The findings synthesize a nascent yet significant body of research exploring how environmental changes driven by climate change impact the dental profession and oral health outcomes. This study is an amalgamation of different forms of papers providing a one-place assessment of the status and prospects for future research on the impact of climate change on the dental profession and oral health outcomes. Key themes identified include the direct effects of extreme weather events, the indirect effects of climate-induced socio-economic changes, and the broader implications for dental public health systems.

The findings from this review reported that extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and heat waves can disrupt access to dental care and increase the prevalence of oral injuries. The impact of solar radiation and the burden of oral cancer have also been highlighted in a review [2]. Contaminated water supplies have also been attributed to the risk of dental infections and diseases such as dental caries and periodontitis due to poor oral hygiene and limited access to dental care facilities during and after such events [12]. Extreme weather conditions have also been associated with supply and transport problems, which may cause costs in dentistry to rise [7].

Indirectly, how climate change affects oral health has also been reported which may be through socio-economic disruptions. The imbalance in food and diet, in turn, impacts nutritional intake which is critical for maintaining good oral health [5, 15]. The literature also points to increased stress and mental health issues related to climate change as factors that can contribute to poorer oral hygiene practices and higher incidence of conditions like bruxism, which may further lead to temporomandibular joint disorders. Furthermore, the climate change may also exacerbate health inequalities, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations such as communities from low-income groups, remote areas, and indigenous groups. The indigenous group often has limited access to dental care [16] and can be more susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change, exacerbating existing disparities in oral health outcomes.

The findings from this review report that sustainable procurement in professional ability may also be of importance to make a positive environmental impact. Additionally, emphasis on the utilization of a circular economy to regulate plastic use in which the products are maintained and used at the highest-value application for as long as possible can also serve as a sustainable solution [1].

Dental public health systems should be made more resilient to withstand and recover from the impacts of climate-related events. This includes developing emergency response plans that ensure the continuity of dental care services during disasters and foster community-based initiatives that promote oral health resilience.

The need for developing strategic plans utilizing teledentistry, establishing strategies for personal and professional financial security, and considering in-office medication storage may also be recommended to avoid antibiotic overusage [11]. Funding for research into the oral health impacts of climate change should be prioritized to better understand the risks and develop effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Gaps in the literature and future research directions

Despite the need for growing evidence and a potential area to explore, there are significant gaps that remain in literature. There is a lack of epidemiological studies that can provide deeper insights into the long-term impacts of climate change on oral health. Additionally, more research is needed on the effectiveness of various adaptation strategies in mitigating the oral health impacts of climate change. Future research can include the following:

  • The epidemiological studies investigating the direct and indirect effects of climate change on the prevalence and severity of oral diseases.

  • Health Impact Assessments: Assessing the impact of climate-induced changes in water quality, food security, and socioeconomic conditions on oral health outcomes.

  • Intervention Strategies: Developing and evaluating interventions to mitigate the impact of climate change on oral health, such as sustainable dental practices, emergency preparedness plans, and public health initiatives.

  • Policy Analysis: Examining the effectiveness of policies aimed at addressing the intersection of climate change and oral health and identifying best practices for integrating oral health into climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

  • Digital oral health: Potential areas of research can also include the impact of tele dentistry with regards to carbon emissions from other sources.

Conclusions

The findings of the present study synthesize the impact of climate change and reviews the challenges it poses for maintaining oral health. Continued research and policy attention are imperative to address the complex and evolving challenges posed by climate change to oral health.