ArticleHuman resources for health2021
Needs-led human resource planning for Sierra Leone in support of oral health.
Article in Human resources for health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Oral health system strengthening in fragile and conflict-affected states: A systematic review.Journal of global health · 2024Pooled it
- Oral Health Trends and Challenges in North and West Africa: A Systematic Review of Cross-Sectional Studies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Structural changes and influencing factors of human resource allocation for oral health in China.PloS one · 2025Article
- Global, regional, and national burden of periodontal diseases from 1990 to 2021 and predictions to 2040: an analysis of the global burden of disease study 2021.Frontiers in oral health · 2025Article
- Perceived oral health and disease experience among adults in Sierra Leone: An exploratory study.Journal of public health in Africa · 2025Article
- Universal coverage for oral health care in 27 low-income countries: a scoping review.Global health research and policy · 2024Article
- Oral Health Workforce in Africa: A Scarce Resource.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn Sierra Leone (SL), a low-income country in West Africa, dental care is very limited, largely private, and with services focused in the capital Freetown. There is no formal dental education. Ten dentists supported by a similar number of dental care professionals (DCPs) serve a population of over 7.5 million people. The objective of this research was to estimate needs-led requirements for dental care and human resources for oral health to inform capacity building, based on a national survey of oral health in SL.
methodsA dedicated operational research (OR) decision tool was constructed in Microsoft Excel to support this project. First, total treatment needs were estimated from our national epidemiological survey data for three key ages (6, 12 and 15 years), collected using the 'International Caries Classification and Management System (ICCMS)' tool. Second, oral health needs were extrapolated to whole population levels for each year-group, based on census demographic data. Third, full time equivalent (FTE) workforce capacity needs were estimated for mid-level providers in the form of Dental Therapists (DTs) and non-dental personnel based on current oral disease management approaches and clinical timings for treatment procedures. Fourth, informed by an expert panel, three oral disease management scenarios were explored for the national population: (1) Conventional care (CC): comprising oral health promotion (including prevention), restorations and tooth extraction; (2) Surgical and Preventive care (S
resultsTo meet the needs of a single year-group of childrens' needs, an average of 163 DTs (range: 133-188) would be required to deliver Conventional care (CC); 39 DTs (range: 30-45) to deliver basic Surgical and Preventive care (S
conclusionThe study demonstrates the huge dental workforce needs required to deliver even minimal oral health care to the Sierra Leone population. The gap between the current workforce and the oral health needs of the population is stark and requires urgent action. The study also demonstrates the potential for contemporary epidemiological tools to predict dental treatment needs and inform workforce capacity building in a low-income country, exploring a range of solutions involving mid-level providers and non-dental personnel.
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