The Common Risk Factor Approach (CRFA) to Oral Health Promotion
The Four Major Modifiable Behavioral Risk Factors

It is well-documented tobacco use, harmful alcohol use, and an unhealthy diet are risk factors for cancers, CVDs, respiratory diseases and diabetes.¹⁸ The role oral biofilm plays in the development of NCDs is a recently studied relationship.¹⁹ Attaching a specific risk factor to a specific NCD is an impossible task. First, there is often a lag time between exposure to a risk factor and the development of a health condition. Secondly, there is usually more than one risk factor associated with a health condition, and thirdly, the exposure to risk factors is often linked to more than one health condition. Risk factors act synergistically to accelerate the onset or worsen already existing NCDs.