Oral Health Over the Life Course

Excerpt

Oral diseases refer to conditions of the teeth, gums and mouth, and include dental caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancers. The impact of these conditions on quality of life is high, they are very common and their treatment is costly, therefore they are considered a major public health problem. Oral diseases are socially patterned, disproportionately affecting socially disadvantaged and marginalised populations. Because oral health and general health are inextricably linked and share common risk factors, caries and periodontal disease are useful markers of general health, and overall patterns of health inequalities. The literature on life course epidemiology applied to oral health is still limited, although there is a strong argument for studying oral diseases within a dynamic life course framework: they are chronic in nature and cumulative over time. Critical periods, as well as accumulation of risk models are applicable to oral diseases. Given that childhood diet and oral hygiene are related to socioeconomic and psychosocial factors, and that tooth loss is irreversible, adult oral health is rooted in early life conditions, while upward and downward social mobility influences oral health trajectories. In this chapter we review the theoretical and empirical developments in life course research on oral health, and suggest ways forward.