The Contribution of Dentistry to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): an integrative review

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.51572112601067

• Palavras-chave: Sustainable Development; Dental Education; Health Equity; Sustainable Development Goals; Oral Health.

• Keywords: Sustainable Development; Dental Education; Health Equity; Sustainable Development Goals; Oral Health.

• Abstract:

  The 2030 Agenda is a plan developed by the United Nations (UN) with the goal of achieving sustainable development for all countries by 2030. This agenda seeks to strengthen universal peace and recognizes that eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable prerequisite for sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets. This integrative review article addressed the contribution of dentistry to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  . The SDGs mentioned in the review articles and relevant to dental practice were identified and discussed, highlighting the ways in which the profession can contribute to achieving global goals. The guiding question of the study was: "How does dentistry relate to the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda?" The search for scientific articles was conducted on May 1, 2025, in the PubMed bibliographic database, using the following search strategy: “sustainable development goals” AND “dentistry.” The inclusion criteria for references were: original works published in English. The exclusion criteria were incomplete articles or those that did not adequately address the study’s theme. After the data collection phase, the Rayyan platform was used for the selection, organization, and screening of the articles. The references were analyzed based on the title and abstract, taking into account the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The search strategy identified 82 items, and 26 articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this review. The results reveal that oral health not only aligns with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) but is also strongly connected to targets related to SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Thus, the study demonstrates that dentistry has the potential to shift from being a gap in sustainable development to becoming one of its pillars, promoting more equitable and accessible oral health.