Community engagement and equity-oriented research are prerequisites for designing inclusive oral health services for people experiencing homelessness

TY - JOUR

T1 - Community engagement and equity-oriented research are prerequisites for designing inclusive oral health services for people experiencing homelessness

AU - Paisi, Martha

AU - Rodriguez, Andrea

AU - Withers, Lyndsey

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the British Dental Association 2026.

PY - 2026/2/13

Y1 - 2026/2/13

N2 - Oral health is a vital aspect of overall health and wellbeing, yet individuals experiencing homelessness often bear a disproportionate burden of poor oral health and its consequences. This paper explores how community engagement and equity-oriented research can be powerful and complementary tools to inform and enhance evidence-based service design for these patients. We present illustrative examples from both the United Kingdom and international contexts. Community engagement captures a genuine, patient-centred understanding of current realities, while research builds on this foundation to identify and address priority needs. This targeted approach increases the likelihood of impactful interventions that move from ‘what is' to ‘what could be'. The ongoing cycle of inquiry and collaboration fosters a dynamic synergy, laying the groundwork for inclusive, responsive and sustainable oral healthcare. We call on policymakers, service providers, researchers and educators to continue advancing these community-partnered approaches. When care is designed following the principle that ‘nothing about us is done without us', oral health services for people experiencing homelessness can become truly accessible, effective and transformative, for individuals and for society as a whole.

AB - Oral health is a vital aspect of overall health and wellbeing, yet individuals experiencing homelessness often bear a disproportionate burden of poor oral health and its consequences. This paper explores how community engagement and equity-oriented research can be powerful and complementary tools to inform and enhance evidence-based service design for these patients. We present illustrative examples from both the United Kingdom and international contexts. Community engagement captures a genuine, patient-centred understanding of current realities, while research builds on this foundation to identify and address priority needs. This targeted approach increases the likelihood of impactful interventions that move from ‘what is' to ‘what could be'. The ongoing cycle of inquiry and collaboration fosters a dynamic synergy, laying the groundwork for inclusive, responsive and sustainable oral healthcare. We call on policymakers, service providers, researchers and educators to continue advancing these community-partnered approaches. When care is designed following the principle that ‘nothing about us is done without us', oral health services for people experiencing homelessness can become truly accessible, effective and transformative, for individuals and for society as a whole.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105030029816

U2 - 10.1038/s41415-025-9251-9

DO - 10.1038/s41415-025-9251-9

M3 - Article

C2 - 41688708

AN - SCOPUS:105030029816

SN - 0007-0610

VL - 240

SP - 173

EP - 178

JO - British Dental Journal

JF - British Dental Journal

IS - 3

ER -