Abstract
In the United States, people are more likely to have poor oral health if they are low-income, uninsured, and/or members of racial/ethnic minority, immigrant, or rural populations who have suboptimal access to quality oral health care. As a result, poor oral health serves as the national symbol of social inequality. There is increasing recognition among those in public health that oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease and general health conditions such as obesity and diabetes are closely linked by sharing common risk factors, including excess sugar consumption and tobacco use, as well as underlying infection and inflammatory pathways. Hence, efforts to integrate oral health and primary health care, incorporate interventions at multiple levels to improve access to and quality of services, and create health care teams that provide patient-centered care in both safety net clinics and community settings may narrow the gaps in access to oral health care across the life course.
Highlights
The title of this review is key to understanding its scope
This inconsistency serves to underscore the difficulties faced in providing age-appropriate oral health care services to adolescents, who are confronted with critical life choices before they are developmentally and emotionally mature
This review has focused on US disparities in access to oral health care across the life course
Summary
The title of this review is key to understanding its scope. The importance of oral health cannot be overstated for physical, emotional, psychological, and socioeconomic well-being, at the individual level and at the interpersonal (e.g., family, friends), community, and societal levels [48, 89, 104, 130]. This review is restricted largely to the United States, as the historical and continued separation of the oral health care delivery system from the medical care delivery system in this country is comprehensive and reinforced by the fact that dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants are separated from other health care professionals in virtually every way: where they are trained, how their services are reimbursed, and where they provide oral health care (13, 96; see the sidebar titled Oral Health Services Provision Worldwide). The concluding section reaffirms previous calls to action for public health to claim oral health care as a social justice issue that merits concerted programmatic, research, and health policy support [128, 130, 133]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
