Epidemiology, Politics, and Dental Public Health

Abstract

In this chapter, we aim to present some conceptual elements, discussion points, and research evidence about power, politics, social policies, and why these are important issues for public health in general and dental public health in particular. In the first section, we discuss the concepts of power, knowledge, epidemiology, and public health, and how they are related to each other. Some historical aspects of these concepts are also presented. Then, we introduce some ideas on how politics has been crucial in the way health/illness has been understood, analyzed, and tackled under different contexts and during distinct historical moments. Some changes in the traditional field of Public Health (Dental Public Health) are also summarized together with some characteristics of proposed alternatives documented as New Public Health and Collective Health (Collective Oral Health). Later, ideas about the theoretical basis of the influence of social policies on population oral health and inequalities are discussed, followed by a review of the evidence on the relationship between social policies and oral health (including inequalities). The closing section of the chapter presents what we think are the main challenges and steps to take forward regarding research and policy action.