Building the links between surveillance, research, and policy and practice--dental public health experiences in Australia.

Abstract

To identify how to translate dental public health surveillance and broader research into policy and practice. Via a literature review to identify both the potential uses of surveillance data and key elements in the policy making process. Then through a consideration of Australian dental public health examples to identify ways to build links between this research and policy making. The development of dental public health policy can be complex. Different notions of evidence are held by researchers and policy makers. A cultural gap divides these two groups. Translation of research into policy is more likely if an issue is moved up the policy agenda through judicial articulation of the problem w..