Challenges to Dental Care in Post-Conflict Liberia

The quality of dental care in rural post-conflict Liberia is a significant public health concern, especially at a populated centrally-based rural referral hospital without an assigned staff dentist. Moreover, community-based dental health promotion programs, including evidence-based best practices, are not generally implemented. Despite the lack of basic dental infrastructure, trained human resources and capacity building initiatives, basic and emergency dental cases are routinely observed and assessed within the outpatient and emergency departments, and effectively managed based on the framework of the primary health care model. In this presentation, we describe the prevalence of the primary and emergency dental cases, potential risk factors, and management options. In addition, the prevailing challenges in rural Liberia are further described within the context of primary health care and potential recommendations advanced for cost-effective and sustainable management of dental care in rural post-conflict settings where there are no dentists.