Social Workers As Leaders in Oral Health Equity: Opportunities for Connecting Research to Practice

Social workers have become integral to the healthcare system, contributing to interdisciplinary teams across various settings. However, oral health remains an overlooked aspect of health equity, where critical patient support, advocacy, and social work scholarship are still limited. Oral health is not only a biological issue but also a psychosocial one that is greatly influenced by social and structural drivers. The effects of poor oral health disproportionately impact historically marginalized communities and have consequences that extend far beyond the mouth, including mental health challenges, links to adverse physical health concerns, barriers to employment and education, and social isolation. For example, inadequate dental coverage and care access particularly impact the older adult population. While literature is beginning to explore these issues, more insights remain to be gained, especially from the perspectives of Black older adults and other marginalized communities.

In response to this growing need, a group of social workers came together in 2019 to establish Social Work in Dentistry (SWID), a national network of social work practitioners, educators, researchers, and advocates dedicated to integrating social work values and practices into oral health settings. SWID is based on a shared vision that equitable oral health must be understood and promoted through structural, clinical, and community-level change.

This roundtable aims to share the role of social workers as emerging leaders in oral health equity by highlighting current innovations in practice, research, and education. Panelists will share insights from diverse projects, including research on the oral health of Black older adults, impacts of social and structural drivers of oral health, and the development of social work programs and practicums in dental education settings through SWID. The roundtable will also discuss strategies for strengthening interprofessional collaboration, influencing policy change, and integrating oral health into existing social work practice.

Questions that will guide this roundtable include: 1. What are the unique contributions of social work in oral health contexts, and how do they advance equity? 2. What research questions are needed to build an evidence base around social work's impact on oral health outcomes and systems change? 3. What policy shifts are necessary to embed social workers in oral health systems sustainably and meaningfully? 4. How can we educate and train future social workers in addressing oral health?

By recognizing oral health as a social justice and equity issue and prioritizing the voices of those most affected, social workers are uniquely positioned to be leaders in this field. Practice opportunities include developing integrated care models that address psychosocial needs within dental environments and redefining oral health as a key aspect of comprehensive patient care. Policy considerations include workforce expansion, adult dental coverage, reimbursement, and the role of social workers in oral health initiatives. Research priorities include the need for intersectional methodologies to explore social and structural drivers of oral health, assess new care models, and prioritize patient-reported outcomes.

As social work continues to advance in health equity research, practice, and policy, oral health must be recognized as a critical component.