Impact of social determinants on tooth loss. Bibliographic review

Abstract

In Chile, dental caries is one of the most prevalent chronic oral diseases along with gingival, periodontal diseases and dentomaxillary anomalies. Chronic diseases represent the bulk of Chile’s health burden. These diseases are associated with habits that are usually acquired early in childhood or adolescence and that are also associated with a complex and multiple network of determinants. The social determinants of health are defined as the social conditions in which people live and they work, and they influence positively or negatively on health. Social determinants intervene markedly in oral health, where people with fewer resources and lower educational level have more pathologies and less access to treatments. The empirical evidence analyzed provides useful information to consider that the Social Determinants of Health have a great influence on the health of the individuals, however, there are few investigations that directly relate the loss of dental pieces with these determinants. The objective of this article is to review the association between tooth loss and the social determinants of health.