Science-Informed Health Policies for Oral and Systemic Health

Abstract

Oral, dental and craniofacial (ODC) health has a profound impact on general health and welfare throughout life, yet US dentists and physicians operate across misaligned silos. This protracted division limits access to optimal health, supports fee for services, and exacerbates health disparities. Early in the 20th century, the most frequent dental therapy was tooth extraction: removed infected teeth were substituted by prosthetic appliances – commonly, dentures or nothing. Most adults assumed becoming edentulous was a normal corollary of aging. With the discovery of penicillin and other antibiotics, healthcare professionals and policy makers predicted infectious diseases would become irrelevant. However, given numerous health threats, including SARS-CoV-2, HIV, multidrug-resistant bacteria, Zika virus, Ebola virus, and now monkeypox, public and professional awareness of transmissible infectious diseases has never been more evident. Ironically, little attention has been paid to unmet transmissible, infectious, common oral diseases – dental caries and periodontal diseases. Therefore, these persist within “the silent and invisible epidemic”. The preventable death of a young boy in 2007 from an infected untreated tooth that produced bacterial meningitis is a profound reminder that our nation has vast inequities in education, health, and welfare. The impact of oral infections on hospital-acquired pneumonia, post-operative infection in cardiac valve surgery, and even academic performances of disadvantaged children displayed through sociodemographic characteristics and access to care determinants also are profound! This paper asserts that current and emerging ODC health knowledge and science will inform health policies and advance equity in access to care, affordable costs, and optimal healthcare outcomes. We recommend that legal and regulatory systems and public health programs be required to ensure health equity. A fair healthcare system that addresses holistic healthcare must be transparent, accessible, integrated and provide a standard of oral healthcare based upon scientific evidence for all people across the lifespan.

Conhecimento de Acadêmicos de Odontologia sobre os Riscos do Cigarro Eletrônico para a Saúde Bucal

“…Apesar dos avanços nas políticas de saúde bucal, ainda há um foco limitado nos aspectos de saúde pública dentro da profissão odontológica, com uma pequena porcentagem de publicações acadêmicas abordando as políticas de saúde bucal 40 . Vale destacar que conhecer a legislação e as políticas de saúde pública é essencial para promover a equidade na saúde e garantir o acesso a cuidados com base em evidências científicas para todos os indivíduos ao longo da sua vida 41 .…”

A Holistic Approach for Ethics and Sustainability in the Food Chain: The Gateway to Oral and Systemic Health

“…Any disruptions or abnormalities in oral structures can impact speech clarity and communication abilities. Maintaining good oral hygiene and addressing oral health issues promptly is essential for overall well-being and systemic health [354]. Serious work has been performed also on the impact of tooth loss and edentulism on the quality of life of affected individuals [355,356].…”

Ethics in the Food Ecosystem from Research to Consumption in Conjunction with Oral Health Significance for Sustainability and Spirituality Purposes—Mouth: The Sacred Gateway

“…Any disruptions or abnormalities in oral structures can impact speech clarity and communication abilities. Maintaining good oral hygiene and addressing oral health issues promptly are essential for overall well-being and systemic health (Slavkin et al 2023) [312]. Serious work has been done also for the impact of tooth loss and edentulism on the quality of life of affected individuals (Gavela et al 2015; Paredes-Rodríguez et al 2016) [313,314].…”