A scoping review of Australian policy relating Oral Health to Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and Cognitive Impairment.

Objectives: To identify the extent and number of policies in Australia relating oral health to cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes mellitus (DM) and cognitive impairment (CI). Methods: A scoping review was conducted based on the framework set out by Arksey & O'Malley (2005) with revisions based on Levac, Colquhoun & O'Brien (2010) and Anderson, Allen, Peckham, & Goodwin (2008). Australian national, state and territory government websites and grey literature were systematically searched for Australian national, state and territory policies. Results: A total of twenty-two policies were found. After assessment, one policy was excluded and twenty-one policies were reviewed with publication years ranging from 2013-2018. All policies were either Australian national or state policies pertaining to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, dementia, chronic diseases, or oral health. Conclusions: Upon review of the policies, several common themes emerged. There is scope to expand implementation of current research linking oral health to cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and cognitive impairment in Australian health policy. A need for improvement in oral health literacy was identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]