Stomatology personnel reorganization in health emergencies with a One Health approach

Abstract

Introduction: health contingency situations require preparedness and response plans involving all healthcare personnel, including Stomatology staff. Although international and national legal frameworks exist, they do not specify concrete functions by professional categories. The One Health approach proposes an integrative vision to address these crises.

Objective: to identify the available scientific evidence on the reorganization of Stomatology personnel in contingency situations using a One Health approach.

Development: a narrative bibliographic review was conducted, with searches in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and LILACS covering the period 2020–2025. Six studies of high methodological quality, assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and OSTEBA forms, were selected. Documented strategies include redeployment to non-clinical functions, teledentistry, prioritization of emergencies, and interprofessional work. There is a lack of pre-established regulatory instruments. Alignment with One Health was mostly implicit, with only two studies being explicit.

Final considerations: the findings reveal work overload, lack of prior training, and the need for institutional support. All strategies emerged as empirical and reactive responses, unsupported by previously developed specific instruments. In summary, evidence exists on reorganization strategies, but none are backed by pre-established regulatory instruments. A critical gap is identified: the lack of contingency plans that, under a One Health approach, define specific functions for Stomatology, which is imperative to develop.