Dental Fitness®: An Operational Definition and Evidence-Based Framework for Preventive Oral Health

Note added September 6, 2026. A corrected version 2 of this paper is available at doi:10.5281/zenodo.22435798. It fixes citation errors in this version (one reference that did not exist as cited, two page ranges, one author order), replaces the 2015 Cochrane fluoridation review with its 2024 update, rewords two statements that went beyond their sources, and rewrites Section 2.2 to cite the current FDI (2016) and WHO (2022) definitions of oral health accurately. This version is kept on record so that the two can be compared. Readers should cite version 2. This position paper introduces Dental Fitness® as a formally defined clinical construct for preventive oral health. The document presents an operational definition, a four-domain measurement framework, alignment with established CAMBRA (Caries Management by Risk Assessment) risk stratification protocols, and a rationale for adoption in clinical practice and public health contexts. The four measurable domains of Dental Fitness® are: (1) Structural Integrity — demineralization/remineralization equilibrium; (2) Biological Balance — resistance to acidogenic dysbiosis; (3) Buffering Capacity — salivary acid neutralization and mineral delivery; and (4) Tissue Health — periodontal and mucosal structural integrity. The framework is grounded in peer-reviewed literature and is intended to provide clinicians, researchers, and public health professionals with a standardized, measurable construct that shifts the clinical and patient-facing language of dentistry from disease management toward proactive health maintenance. Author: Jarred K. Donald, DDS, FAGD Institution: The Dental Fitness Institute™ Date: February 2026 Status: Non-peer-reviewed position paper. This document has not been submitted to a journal. It is published here to establish priority of authorship and facilitate professional and academic comment.