The Common Risk Factor Approach (CRFA) to Oral Health Promotion
Levels of Prevention

Identification and Description of the Levels of Prevention

Primary, secondary and tertiary are the three levels of prevention used to avert and control diseases in populations. Primary prevention is targeted at reducing the incidence of disease. It focuses on curtailing risk factors. Primary prevention is the most effective and efficient form of healthcare. Health promotion plays a key role in primary prevention by “enabling people to increase control over the determinants of health and thereby improve their health.”¹² Secondary prevention is directed at the presymptomatic or early stage of disease, decreasing the number of existing cases of disease. Secondary prevention reduces the prevalence of disease. Limiting disability and improving function following disease or its complications is the goal of tertiary prevention.