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. 2006 Jun 15;6 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S4.
doi: 10.1186/1472-6831-6-S1-S4.

Reducing oral health disparities: a focus on social and cultural determinants

Donald L Patrick  1 , Rosanna Shuk Yin Lee, Michele Nucci, David Grembowski, Carol Zane Jolles, Peter Milgrom
Affiliations

Reducing oral health disparities: a focus on social and cultural determinants

Donald L Patrick et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Oral health is essential to the general health and well-being of individuals and the population. Yet significant oral health disparities persist in the U.S. population because of a web of influences that include complex cultural and social processes that affect both oral health and access to effective dental health care. This paper introduces an organizing framework for addressing oral health disparities. We present and discuss how the multiple influences on oral health and oral health disparities operate using this framework. Interventions targeted at different causal pathways bring new directions and implications for research and policy in reducing oral health disparities.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Influences on Oral Health and Oral Health Disparities.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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