Communicating a Scientific Story

Public health organizations typically try to raise literacy or counter misinformation with fact sheets and other data-centric messages. Yet research shows that disseminating more information does not necessarily combat myths. Storytelling offers the oral health community another option for engaging audiences and complementing the facts. The early-20th century research into fluoride is one example of an interesting story. Data and stories can complement each other. Using the elements of storytelling to report or summarize research findings could make such findings more relevant to health policy makers, whose decisions are often driven by values and evidence. Although the scientific literature has not produced a definitive template for instilling stories in a study manuscript, I provide several techniques and caveats for oral health researchers to consider.