Evidence review : Dental public health

Oral health is essential to the health and well being of the population, and because of its impact on health, the prevention of oral diseases is a core function of public health. [...] Oral health pertains to the health of the whole mouth, whereas dental health refers to the health of the teeth and gums, with the common diseases of concern in British Columbia being caries and periodontal diseases. [...] The mouth is a major portal of entry to the body, and when the integrity of the oral tissues is compromised or the host defenses are impaired, the mouth can be a source of disease and contagion, through the passing of contaminated fluids or materials to others (United States Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] and National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research [NIDCR] 2000). [...] THE STATUS OF DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 4.1 Data Collection in British Columbia Understanding the prevalence of disease contributes to decision-making on effective prevention strategies, and the methodology used to collect data limits the interpretation of the data. [...] Analysis of the recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) in the United States suggests that despite no change in the prevalence of caries in the primary dentition, there is improving health in the permanent dentition (Beltran-Aguilar et al.