Developing a Community Oral Health Programme Framework for Rural Local Government Areas in Kano State

Improving oral health outcomes in rural North West Nigeria requires professionally designed, culturally adapted community programmes that can function within resource constraints. This study developed a community oral health programme framework for rural Local Government Areas in Kano State, North West Nigeria. A professional programme development methodology was applied, drawing on needs assessment surveys of 500 community members in Rano, Bebeji, and Gaya LGAs, structured consultations with 20 primary healthcare coordinators and 8 dental public health specialists, and review of WHO community oral health promotion guidelines and comparable African rural oral health programme designs. Needs assessment confirmed that 72.8 percent had never visited a dentist, that dental pain was the most common oral health problem, and that community health workers were the most trusted health information sources. The programme framework developed encompasses five components: quarterly mobile dental clinic visits, community health worker oral health training, school-based dental sealant and fluoride varnish application, culturally adapted oral health education in Hausa, and a referral pathway from PHC to the nearest district hospital dental unit. Indicators for annual programme evaluation are specified. Expert review by eight dental public health specialists confirmed the framework's contextual appropriateness and operational feasibility for the Kano rural setting. The study recommends the framework be adopted by the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board with UNICEF WASH and health programme co-funding, and piloted in the three assessed LGAs before state-wide scaling.

Keywords: community oral health, programme framework, rural Kano State, mobile dental clinic, dental public health