PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Oral Health
Sec. Oral Health Promotion
This article is part of the Research TopicA Collection of Perspectives and Opinions on Game Changers for the Epidemiology of Oral HealthView all articles
Dental Genomics in Africa: Colonial Legacies and Research Gaps
Provisionally accepted
- 1Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
- 2University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
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Oral health disparities are closely linked to broader health inequalities, particularly in global health contexts where disproportionate emphasis is placed on diseases other than oral health. In the field of dental genetics, recent investigations have highlighted persistent challenges and barriers in African genomic research. Colonial legacies continue to influence the structuring of research agendas and contribute to the marginalization of indigenous knowledge systems. We discuss the implications of these historical dynamics for the relevance of genetic research findings, and addresses the emerging ethical considerations in clinical applications and community engagement. We emphasize the need for equitable and culturally inclusive approaches to expand our genetic understanding of dental pathologies in underrepresented African populations.
Keywords: African, Colonial legacies, Dental genetics, Genomics, Research
Received: 28 Jun 2025; Accepted: 27 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 KABBASHI, Roomaney and Chetty. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Imaan Amina Roomaney, iroomaney@uwc.ac.za
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