Barriers to environmentally sustainable initiatives in oral health care clinical settings.

Human health is linked to environmental health. Pollutants or disease-causing microbes released into the environment through human activity or natural disasters affect communities' air quality, water or food supply, and, ultimately, the livelihoods of residents. Oral health care (OHC) professionals, including dental hygienists (DHs), use vast amounts of resources in their daily clinical operations, which contribute to the global pollution burden and climate change. Canadian OHC professionals are largely missing from the environmental sustainability dialogue, despite their commitment to the holistic well-being of their clients and communities they support.

Objective: This literature review explores the barriers to adopting environmentally sustainable (ES) initiatives in the clinical setting as perceived by OHC professionals, particularly DHs.

Results: Eight studies reviewed highlight 4 key barriers-infrastructural, institutional, educational, and individual-to the adoption of ES initiatives by OHC professionals in the clinical setting.

Conclusion: OHC professionals who adopt ES initiatives to curb the potential environmental impacts of their clinical practices support the population health of the communities they serve and, thus, the well-being of future generations. Further research may guide the development of education, protocol, policy, and infrastructure changes to facilitate the adoption of ES initiatives by OHC professionals even amidst ever-changing global conditions. Adopting ES initiatives not only benefits the environment, but it may also aide in improving client outcomes due to long-term practice savings that can be diverted to enhancing client care.