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Chapter 10
Factors Affecting Oral Health over the Life Span
Chapter 11
Facing the Future
Chapter 12
A Call to Action
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Many factors have been implicated in determining oral health, and they have varying effects across the life stages. These factors are discussed in Chapter 10, where the incorporation of determinants of health in major public health initiatives such as Healthy People 2010 is highlighted. Essential factors include individual biology and lifestyle, the physical and social environment (including whether a community supports health-promoting measures such as water fluoridation), and the organization of health care. These factors are not independent but interact. An individual with no inherent health problems and a healthy lifestyle also needs to live in a healthy environment with ready access to and ability to pay for health care services. Studies of oral health over the lifetime highlight the interaction of these factors. The chapter focuses primarily on America’s most vulnerable populations—children and the elderly—where issues of access, insurance, and reimbursement are critical in determining oral health and limit the delivery of care for individuals with special needs and those residing in institutions.
Chapter 11 focuses on the future and the promise of research born of the revolutions in genetics, biotechnology, and biomimetics—the new science of tissue repair and regeneration. Global demographics and technologic innovations signal the need for health literacy and universal access to care if we are to enhance oral health for all Americans.
Chapter 12 highlights the major findings and recommendations of the report. Everyone—individuals, communities, policymakers, health care providers, educators, and researchers—has a role in improving and promoting oral health. The major conclusion of the report is that oral health is essential to general health and well-being. A National Oral Health Plan will facilitate the means to improve the nation’s oral health. The chapter concludes with five actions proposed toward that end: strengthen understanding of oral health and disease by the public, practitioners, and policymakers; accelerate building the science and evidence base; enhance health infrastructure and program integration; reduce barriers to oral health care; and increase public-private partnerships to address health disparities.
Next: Chapter 10 |