IADR calls for end to oral health inequalities

An editorial in the Journal of Dental Research, published by the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR), outlines a research agenda designed to generate the evidence for a strategy that will reduce inequalities in oral health within a generation (January 24, 2013).

While there have been major improvements in oral health in the last 30 years, with research leading to advances in the prevention and treatment of disease, inequalities remain and a marked social gradient in oral health is seen similar to that in general health, noted the author, Harold Sgan-Cohen, DMD, MPH, an associate professor of public health dentistry at Hebrew University-Hadassah.

Global inequalities in oral health persist both between and within different regions and societies, and they undermine the fabric, productivity, and quality of life of many of the world's peoples, he added.

"It is increasingly apparent that addressing this challenge will require closer and more robust engagement across sectors, including social policy, and the adoption of an upstream approach that integrates action on oral health with approaches to reduce the global burden of noncommunicable disease in general," Sgan-Cohen wrote.