Oral health is tightly linked to nutrition, speech, sleep, school performance, and self-esteem, yet many children lack regular access to preventive dental care. This session on Community Oral Health Integration for Children explores how pediatric, dental, and public health teams can bring oral health promotion, screening, and treatment into community and primary care settings. Rather than relying solely on clinic-based dentistry, the focus is on integrating oral health into routine child health visits, schools, and community programmes to reduce disparities and prevent disease.

Clinicians, dentists, and public health professionals are increasingly drawn to Pediatrics Conference that provide practical models for cross-sector collaboration. In this session, participants will examine strategies such as fluoride varnish programmes in primary care, school-based sealant and screening initiatives, and community campaigns addressing sugar intake, feeding practices, and oral hygiene routines. Case studies from diverse settings will highlight how integrated programmes have reduced caries rates, hospitalisations for dental infections, and inequalities in access. The session also emphasises the importance of culturally tailored messaging and engagement with families.

Central to the discussion is building effective pediatric community oral health pathways that clarify roles across pediatricians, family physicians, nurses, dentists, hygienists, and community workers. Attendees will explore how to incorporate oral health risk assessment into well-child checks, neonatal and infant visits, and chronic disease management. Practical tips will be given on counselling caregivers about bottle use, breastfeeding and complementary feeding, sugar-sweetened beverages, brushing routines, and dental home establishment. The session will also consider how to engage schools, childcare centres, and local authorities in supportive policies such as healthy food standards and water fluoridation where appropriate.

The session further addresses barriers such as workforce shortages, geographic distance, costs, and fear or mistrust of dental services. Participants will discuss innovative approaches including mobile clinics, tele-dentistry consults, community health workers, and integration with broader child health initiatives. By the end, attendees will have a clearer understanding of how to embed oral health into everyday pediatric practice and community planning, ensuring that children’s mouths, teeth, and smiles are not treated as separate from their overall health.