Health Promotion: It is not just about education!

Health promotion is frequently defined in the dental field to refer to downstream activities such as application of sealants, fluorides, or provision of dental education. This presentation will describe the current definitions of health promotion and discuss how their relevance to oral health promotion. The current emphasis on wellness provides an opportunity for dental public health professionals to develop new innovative programs to promote oral health using different approaches to create capacity within communities and individuals to achieve and maintain their own health and oral health. The presentation will focus on the role of Dr. Alice Horowitz in promoting a wider perspective on oral health promotion in dentistry and her leadership role to push the field and its boundaries