UNSTRUCTURED Objectives: To assess the reported presence of oral lesions in COVID-19-infected young adults and the difference between smokers and non-smokers in this association. Methods: This cross-sectional multi-country study recruited 18-to-23 year-old adults using an electronic validated questionnaire assessing COVID-19-infection, smoking and the presence of oral lesions/conditions (dry mouth, change in taste, and others). Multi-level logistic regression assessed the association between oral lesions and COVID-19 infection, and how smoking modified the associations between COVID-19 and oral lesions/conditions. Results: Data was available from 5342 respondents from 43 countries. Of these, 8.1% reported COVID-19-infection, 42.7% had oral lesions and 12.3% were smokers. A significantly greater percentage of COVID-19-infected participants reported dry mouth and change in taste than non-infected persons. Smokers had significantly higher odds of stained teeth with COVID-19 infection than non-smokers (AOR: 1.24 and 1.00; p=0.02). The association between COVID-19-infection and dry mouth was stronger among smokers than non-smokers (AOR=1.26 and 1.03, p=0.09) while the association with change in taste was stronger among non-smokers (AOR=1.22 and 1.13, p= 0.86). Conclusion: Dry mouth and changed taste were associated with COVID-19-infection and may be used to screen for COVID-19 in low COVID-19-testing environments. Smoking may modify the association between some oral lesions and COVID-19-infection.
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Emerging research on the links between sub-optimal oral health and multimorbidity (MM), or the co-existence of multiple chronic conditions, has raised queries on whether enhancing access to dental care may mitigate the MM burden, especially in older age. Here, we aim to assess the association between sub-optimal oral health and MM and whether access to dental care can mitigate the risk of MM in individuals with sub-optimal oral health. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) (n=44,815, 45-84 years old). Edentulism, self-reported oral health (SROH), and other oral health problems (e.g., toothache, bleeding gums), were each used as indicators of sub-optimal oral health. MM was defined according to the Public Health Agency of Canada as having 2 or more chronic conditions out of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and mental illnesses. Variables for access to dental care included the number of dental visits within the last year, dental insurance status, and cost barriers to dental care. We constructed multivariable step-wise logistic regression models and interaction terms with 95% confidence intervals and estimated prevalence ratio (PR) to assess the associations of interest, adjusting for a priori determined sociodemographic and behavioural factors. RESULTS Each of the sub-optimal oral health indicators were significantly associated with MM (edentulism PR=1.48, 95%CI 1.31, 1.68; poor SROH PR=1.81, 95%CI 1.62, 2.01; other oral health problems PR = 1.91, 95%CI 1.78, 2.06). The magnitude of this association was exacerbated in individuals who lacked dental insurance, could not afford dental care, and those who reported fewer dental visits within the last year. CONCLUSION The association between sub-optimal oral health and MM may be exacerbated by the lack of access to dental care. Policies aiming to enhance access to dental care may help mitigate the risk of MM.
Abstract Objectives To assess the magnitude of, and changes in, absolute and relative oral health inequality in Canada and the United States, from the 1970s till the first decade of the new millennium. Methods Data were obtained from four national surveys; two Canadian (NCNS 1970–1972 and CHMS 2007–2009) and two American (HANES 1971–1974 and NHANES 2007–2008). The slope and relative index of inequality were used to measure absolute and relative inequality, respectively. Percentage change in inequality was also calculated. Results Relative inequality for untreated decay increased by 91% in Canada and 189% in the United States, while for filled teeth it declined by 63% in Canada and 16% in the United States. Relative inequality in edentulism rose by 200% and 78% in Canada and United States, respectively. Absolute inequality declined in both countries. Conclusions There was persistent absolute and relative inequality in Canada and the United States. An increase in relative inequality for adverse outcomes suggests that improvements in oral health were occurring primarily among the rich, while reductions in relative inequality for filled teeth indicate higher utilization of restorative services among the poor. These results point to the necessity of tackling the sociopolitical determinants of health to mitigate oral health inequality in Canada and the United States.
Poor oral health is influenced by a variety of individual and structural factors. It disproportionately impacts socially marginalized people, and has implications for how one is perceived by others. This study assesses the degree to which residents of Canada's most populated province, Ontario, recognize income-related oral health inequalities and the degree to which Ontarians blame the poor for these differences in health, thus providing an indirect assessment of the potential for prejudicial treatment of the poor for having bad teeth. Data were used from a provincially representative survey conducted in Ontario, Canada in 2010 (n=2006). The survey asked participants questions about fifteen specific conditions (e.g. dental decay, heart disease, cancer) for which inequalities have been described in Ontario, and whether participants agreed or disagreed with various statements asserting blame for differences in health between social groups. Binary logistic regression was used to determine whether assertions of blame for differences in health are related to perceptions of oral health conditions. Oral health conditions are more commonly perceived as a problem of the poor when compared to other diseases and conditions. Among those who recognize that oral conditions more commonly affect the poor, particular socioeconomic and demographic characteristics predict the blaming of the poor for these differences in health, including sex, age, education, income, and political voting intention. Social and economic gradients exist in the recognition of, and blame for, oral health conditions among the poor, suggesting a potential for discrimination amongst socially marginalized groups relative to dental appearance. Expanding and improving programs that are targeted at improving the oral and dental health of the poor may create a context that mitigates discrimination.
Abstract Background Universal coverage for dental care is a topical policy debate across Canada, but the impact of dental insurance on improving oral health-related outcomes remains empirically unexplored in this population. Methods We used data on individuals 12 years of age and older from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2013–2014 to estimate the marginal effects (ME) of having dental insurance in Ontario, Canada’s most populated province ( n = 42,553 representing 11,682,112 Ontarians). ME were derived from multi-variable logistic regression models for dental visiting behaviour and oral health status outcomes. We also investigated the ME of insurance across income, education and age subgroups. Results Having dental insurance increased the proportion of participants who visited the dentist in the past year (56.6 to 79.4%, ME: 22.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 20.9–24.7) and who reported very good or excellent oral health (48.3 to 57.9%, ME: 9.6, 95%CI: 7.6–11.5). Compared to the highest income group, having dental insurance had a greater ME for the lowest income groups for dental visiting behaviour: dental visit in the past 12 months (ME highest: 17.9; 95% CI: 15.9–19.8 vs. ME lowest: 27.2; 95% CI: 25.0–29.3) and visiting a dentist only for emergencies (ME highest: -11.5; 95% CI: − 13.2 to − 9.9 vs. ME lowest: -27.2; 95% CI: − 29.5 to − 24.8). Conclusions Findings suggest that dental insurance is associated with improved dental visiting behaviours and oral health status outcomes. Policymakers could consider universal dental coverage as a means to support financially vulnerable populations and to reduce oral health disparities between the rich and the poor.
Advances in high-throughput technologies and the generation of multiomics, such as genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic data, are paving the way for the biological risk stratification and prediction of oral diseases. When integrated with electronic health records, survey, census, and/or epidemiologic data, multiomics are anticipated to facilitate data-driven precision oral health, or the delivery of the right oral health intervention to the right individuals/populations at the right time. Meanwhile, multiomics may be modified by a multitude of social exposures, cumulatively along the life course and at various time points from conception onward, also referred to as the socio-exposome. For example, adverse exposures, such as precarious social and living conditions and related psychosocial stress among others, have been linked to specific genes being switched “on and off” through epigenetic mechanisms. These in turn are associated with various health conditions in different age groups and populations. This article argues that considering the impact of the socio-exposome in the biological profiling for precision oral health applications is necessary to ensure that definitions of biological risk do not override social ones. To facilitate the uptake of the socio-exposome in multiomics oral health studies and subsequent interventions, 3 pertinent facets are discussed. First, a summary of the epigenetic landscape of oral health is presented. Next, findings from the nondental literature are drawn on to elaborate the pathways and mechanisms that link the socio-exposome with gene expression—or the biological embedding of social experiences through epigenetics. Then, methodological considerations for implementing social epigenomics into oral health research are highlighted, with emphasis on the implications for study design and interpretation. The article concludes by shedding light on some of the current and prospective opportunities for social epigenomics research applied to the study of life course oral epidemiology.
ABSTRACT Objectives To investigate the extent of the association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with co‐occurring poor self‐reported oral health (SROH) and multimorbidity in middle‐aged and older adults, and whether these associations differ by age and sex. Methods This cross‐sectional study used data from 27 765 adults aged 45–85 years from the first follow‐up wave (2015–2018) of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Four categories were generated to assess co‐occurring SROH and multimorbidity: (i) good SROH, no multimorbidity; (ii) poor SROH, no multimorbidity; (iii) good SROH, multimorbidity and (iv) poor SROH and multimorbidity. Age‐and sex‐stratified multinomial logistic regressions were used to examine associations of ACEs (e.g. childhood maltreatment, neglect, parental death, serious illness or separation) with co‐occurring poor SROH and multimorbidity, adjusted for the confounders race/ethnicity, income, level of education, smoking status and alcohol consumption. Results Over a third of participants reported having multimorbidity (35.3%), 10.4% reported poor SROH, and almost 30% of participants had experienced at least one ACE. There was a gradient in the association between higher ACEs and each of the health outcome categories, with the greater odds being for the co‐occurrence of poor SROH and multimorbidity (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.30, 1.44). The associations between ACEs and adverse health outcomes in later life were significant across age groups and sexes, with middle‐aged females demonstrating the strongest associations. Conclusions ACEs are linked to an increased non‐communicable chronic disease burden and poor oral health among middle‐aged and older Canadians, highlighting the importance of prevention in early life and the focus on psychosocial factors over the life course for healthy aging.
Recent years have seen significant positive changes and developments in oral health–related policy and data on oral health and oral health care in Canada. Simultaneously, on the international stage, the momentum for oral health and related research continues to build. These changes have led to an initiative to create Canada’s first National Oral Health Research Strategy (NOHRS), which was recently published by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research–Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (Allison and Rock 2024). In this communication, we describe the process that was used to undertake this work. We present the resulting guiding principles, the research priority areas, and the framework that emerged, which included 6 strategic priorities grouped into 3 themes: (A) Leading Issues: (1) access to care, (2) inequities, identities, and oral health; (B) Emerging Methods: (3) artificial intelligence, (4) omics; and (C) Overarching Approaches: (5) environmental sustainability, (6) knowledge mobilization and implementation science. In addition, NOHRS includes a series of proposed goals and a timeline over the coming years. The point is to encourage a broad range of individuals and groups of people to engage with this high-level strategy and create plans to implement it. This strategy directly answers the call by the World Health Organization for countries to establish a national oral health research strategy (World Health Organization 2024). We have engaged in an extensive, broad consultative process, resulting in a Canadian NOHRS that is tailored to the needs of our community. Its aim is to galvanize our community into action to address the priorities we have identified. By engaging in this process, we build upon multiple oral health–related initiatives in Canada and on the international stage. We hope to inspire and facilitate similar, much-needed work elsewhere.
To investigate the impact of a COVID-19 mandated lockdown on the type and frequency of dental services accessed at an undergraduate dental clinic in southwestern Ontario.
Abstract Objectives To quantify the association of social capital, defined as social relationships and networks, with cognitive health, oral inflammation, and epigenetic aging. Methods We used data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) (n=1,479; ages 45-85 years), categorizing social capital as structural and cognitive capital. Oral inflammation was determined as the presence of gum bleeding. Epigenetic aging was computed as the difference between chronological age and DNA methylation age. Multivariable regression models adjusted for covariates were used. Results Higher structural social capital was associated with decelerated epigenetic aging and better cognitive health outcomes. Higher cognitive social capital was also associated with better cognitive outcomes and less oral inflammation. Conclusion Enhancing social capital may contribute to better clinical and biological outcomes around aging. Visual Abstract