The Common Risk Factor Approach (CRFA) to Oral Health Promotion
Risk Factors and the Common Risk Factor Approach (CRFA) to Disease

Definition of a Risk Factor

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes a risk factor as “any attribute, characteristic or exposure of an individual that increases the likelihood of developing a disease or injury”.²

Identification of Common Risk Factors for Chronic Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Oral Disease

According to the WHO, use of tobacco, harmful alcohol use, an unhealthy diet, and poor oral hygiene are risk factors for oral diseases.³ These factors are also linked to cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and respiratory diseases, the four major chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Annually, NCDs account for almost two-thirds of deaths worldwide and are the number one cause of disability.⁴ NCDs are long-lasting conditions that cannot be cured but can be controlled.

Description of the CRFA

Designing health promotion programs with common risk factors for disease, such as NCDs and oral diseases, is the focus of applying the Common Risk Factor Approach (CRFA) to oral health promotion. ‘Killing two birds with one stone’ is an apt idiom for the efficacious method of CRFA.