Oral health, genetics, and public health

The most common oral disease of public health concern is dental caries, a multifactorial disease that results from a combination of genetic, environmental and behavioral factors. The public health significance of dental caries is undeniable as it affects nearly all individuals at some point during their lives at significant societal cost. Additionally, the health burden of dental caries is not distributed equitably throughout the population and more decay, in more severe forms, is suffered by individuals of lower socioeconomic status and members of minority populations. Understanding the complex etiology of this disease is essential to the design and implementation of successful public health interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of dental caries. Environmental and behavioral factors, such as salivary characteristics, oral microbiome, diet, and fluoride intake, interact with the genetic susceptibility of the individual to create or prevent the development of caries. Understanding how these factors interact and who is at the highest risk will help public health professionals to add successful interventions to the current evidence based practices of community water fluoridation and school based sealant programs. As research into the disease etiology continues, it will be the responsibility of researchers and public health professionals to further work to reduce the incidence of dental caries through personal behaviors, professional practice, and large scale public health interventions