The strategic plan for dentistry and oral health in Estonia of 2030 focuses on oral health promotion and disease prevention through undergraduate dental curricula and fostering public health-oriented research among students. The present study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study to evaluate oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours (KAB) of dental students in Estonia. The study was carried out in the spring semester of 2020, and it used a modified version of the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI). A total of 129 students responded to the survey, constituting a response rate of 93.5% due to the total population sampling (census) technique used in this study and the small target population size. Out of the 124 students included in the final analysis, 79% were females, 62.1% were clinical students, 11.3% reported smoking tobacco at least once a week, and 86.3% reported problematic internet use. The present study found that mean HU-DBI score of Estonian dental students was 8.09 ± 1.22 which is so far the highest recorded HU-DBI score in Europe. There was no significant difference between female vs. male or preclinical vs. clinical students in terms of HU-DBI score. While clinical students reported less faulty oral hygiene practices, such as hard toothbrush use and aggressive toothbrushing, preclinical students reported a slightly higher mean HU-DBI score. Smoking behaviour was more common among male and clinical students, and it was also associated with alcohol drinking and worry about teeth colour and halitosis.

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Background: While efforts to improve the oral health of vulnerable populations have received little attention in general, the situation of children with disabilities in low- income countries (LICs) remains especially challenging. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of an oral health training provided to disability care workers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso thereby contributing to closing the knowledge gap in disability research in relation to oral health in LICs. Methods: This was a single-arm pre-post study following an embedded mixed methods design using the New World Kirkpatrick training effectiveness evaluation model. For the purposes of this study, three levels of the Kirkpatrick (KP) evaluation were considered: reaction, learning and behaviour. Results: A total of 44 care workers from 6 disability centres participated in the study. Care worker post-training scores (Md = 17) were significantly higher compared to pre-training scores (Md = 13) [Wilcoxon signed-ranks test: Z= -5.53, p < .001, r = .59.] The median value for care worker confidence in applying training material in their everyday job was 7 out of 10 points (IQR = 3). At the 1-month training follow-up, 3 centres had implemented daily toothbrushing for people with disabilities. Conclusion: These findings suggest that tailored training led to an increase in care worker confidence and motivation to implement oral health activities, in knowledge about oral health and a partial implementation uptake of daily toothbrushing in disability centres. Further long-term evaluations with dental care provision in rural and urban settings are needed to lower the high oral disease burden of people with disabilities in Burkina Faso.

The multisectoral nature of emerging global health threats, such as climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and food security, requires holistic solutions. Planetary health, which encompasses the relationship between human systems– political, economic, and social—and Earth's natural systems, is an emerging holistic approach used globally. The Global Health Workforce Network (GHWN) Youth Hub Virtual Conference 2022 was held on 9–10 September 2022 to discuss the role of youth in advancing planetary health. This conference summary introduces a novel youth‐inclusive planetary health framework and describes the current implementation landscape and challenges of planetary health. Based on literature review and discussions at the conference, we identified four supporting pillars of youth‐inclusive planetary health approaches: governance, competency‐based education, research, and digital health. Considering the increasing number of youth in the global health workforce and their huge interests in community participation, meaningful youth engagement should be prioritized to ensure the sustainability of these approaches.

Aim: To develop a model for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, combining polygenic risk score (PRS) with traditional risk factors while assessing the added value of PRS in two cohorts of biobank participants. Methods: Data of 128 209 participants from the Estonian Biobank recruited between 2002–2017 and 2018–2022 without prevalent cardiovascular disease, was included. Hazard ratios (HR) for polygenic risk versus conventional risk factors were estimated with Cox proportional hazards models, cumulative incidence was assessed with Aalen-Johansen curves. Predictive performance was tested using a split-sample approach and competing risk modelling. Age at CVD event served as the outcome, and the impact of the PRS was evaluated by age group (25–59 vs. 60+), sex, and recruitment period, using HRs, Harrell’s C-index, and net reclassification indices (NRI). Results: The estimated HR per one standard deviation (SD) of PRS ranged from 1.1, 95% CI 1.06–1.15 (age 60 + , earlier cohort) to 1.36, 95% CI 1.24–1.49 (men 25–59, later cohort). Adding PRS to the conventional risk factors in the age group 25–59 increased the C-statistic by 0.028 (p < 0.0001) for men. In the age group 60 + , the increase was 0.016 (p = 0.0002) across all. In the independent validation set, the continuous NRI was 19.1% (95% CI 13.3%–24.9%) in the 25–59 group and 13.9% (95% CI 8.1%–19.6%) in the 60 + group. Conclusions: In a high-risk population, PRS is a strong independent risk factor for CVD and should be considered in routine risk assessment, starting at a relatively young age.

Introduction Significant inequalities in oral health needs exist among people with intellectual and developmental disability in low-income settings such as Burkina Faso. Aim To explore enablers and barriers to the creation of an oral health training for caregivers of children with disabilities at specialized centres in Ouagadougou. Method This was a formative study informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) using qualitative methods comprising observations at five centres for disability and semi-structured interviews with 14 caregivers. Results A successful training facilitation to caregivers must account for resources available in centres, part of the training must be dedicated to healthy diets and provide ideas for lowering sugar consumption and the training must empower caregivers with practical skills and tools to manage regular toothbrushing and identification of child oral health needs. Discussion These observations and interviews enabled us to gather valuable and unique perspectives into the everyday functioning of centres for disability, and the professional and personal role of caregivers working with children with disabilities in Ouagadougou. Implications for practice Teams planning oral health promotion activities in low resourced settings for vulnerable population groups can benefit from the methodology and results of this research for ensuring their interventions are appropriate and relevant. Relevance statement This is a unique field study conducted in a scarcely researched area of caregiving practices for children with disabilities in a low-income country, Burkina Faso. Results from the disability centre observations and interviews with local caregivers are of great value to any team planning health projects in similar low-resourced settings. Psychiatric and mental health nursing practices are highly context-dependent, thus using proposed qualitative methods can help to ensure that planned interventions are appropriate and relevant. Accessible summary What is known on the subject? People with disabilities often suffer from oral disease and lack opportunities to access oral care, especially in low-income countries such as Burkina Faso. Their caregivers and nurses lack training in oral health, necessary resources, and motivation to take care of oral hygiene and diet. What the paper adds to existing knowledge? This paper provides a detailed description of the everyday activities and functioning of disability care centres in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and insider perspectives related to the struggles, joys, and motivation of carers in performing their work activities. This paper adds new knowledge about the reality of disability care in Burkina Faso and gives practical information to teams planning health promotion activities in similar contexts, focusing primarily on oral health promotion and training. What are the implications for practice? Dedicating effort to improving the oral health of people with disabilities depends largely on nurses and carers having necessary resources including materials, practical skills, time and support to be empowered in their duties. Results from the disability centre observations and interviews with local caregivers are of great value to any team planning health projects in similar low-resourced settings with mental health nurses or carers.