Table 1 The six key components of the WHO’s health-promoting school framework and their description [8, 19]

Engage health, education and community leaders

Engages health and education officials, teachers, teachers’ unions, students, parents, and community leaders in efforts to promote health

Improve health promoting policy and practice

Policy and practices that help create a healthy psychosocial environment for students and staff such as policies on healthy eating, adequate water and sanitation, first aid, curriculum to include oral health teacher training in oral health and prevention of oral diseases, assessment of oral health status, screening and treatment of oral disease and parental involvement in oral health programs

Provide a safe healthy environment

Provide supportive school environment, both physical and psychosocial including social support and mental health promotion, safe water and sanitation, teachers as role models, peer reinforcement and opportunities for physical education and recreation

Provide skills-based health education

Curricula that provide oral health education to help children develop personal lifelong skills, raise health consciousness, improve understanding and healthy attitudes, to promote healthy behaviours, and thereby to reduce risks of oral disease. Includes training and education for teachers and parents

Provide access to health services

Services like screening, dental examination, treatment and monitoring, and referral that may be provided in the school setting or in partnerships with other health agencies

Improve health of the community

Focus on community health concerns and participating in community health projects