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Despite its critical link to general well-being and other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), the continent faces a high burden of conditions like untreated dental caries, severe periodontal disease, and life-threatening conditions such as Noma. Key challenges include a historic lack of prioritisation in health policy and resource allocation, a critically under-resourced oral health workforce (ratio of 0.44 professionals per 10,000 people), and limited access to care, with high rates of symptomatic visits for tooth removal. Furthermore, there is a significant disparity in research output compared to other continents, reflecting a 10\/90 gap in oral health research and a profound lack of longitudinal and clinical trials. Addressing this high burden and low prioritisation demands urgent, evidence-based policy shifts, increased financial investment, strengthening of the workforce, and robust, African-led research to meet global commitments like the WHA 2022 resolution and SDG 3.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/froh.2026.1754189","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,8]],"date-time":"2026-04-08T05:33:26Z","timestamp":1775626406000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Oral health in Africa: a neglected public health priority"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Myles","family":"Nwabunka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences, Amadeus University","place":["Amizi, Nigeria"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Akinyimika O.","family":"Sowunmi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Allied 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