Mitigating the Impact of E-waste on Oral Health Through the Adoption of Holistic Public Health Interventions: A Mini-Review

Abstract

Electronic waste (E-waste) has emerged as one of the major environmental and public health concern, including impairment of oral health. The objectives of this article are to identify the oral health consequences of E-waste exposure and propose targeted public healthcare interventions to minimize the impact of E-waste exposure. An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was carried out in the PubMed search engine for articles published during the period 2020–2025. Initially, 37 research articles were identified based on the keywords, namely, E-waste, dental caries, oral health, periodontitis, and heavy metals, in the title alone, and finally 24 articles were selected based on the suitability with the current review objectives and analyzed. The results from a wide range of studies have demonstrated that long-term exposure to contaminants can result in the development of dental caries and other oral health problems. These interventions include routine salivary screening, encouraging the use of fluoride-based dental care, consumption of food items rich in antioxidants, and oral health education. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to complement these measures with safer recycling systems and strict enforcement of environmental policies for recycling of E-waste.