American Indians and Native Alaskans face a “disproportionate burden” of oral health disease in the U.S. from childhood onward, a crisis with roots in structural racism and exacerbated by lack of access to healthy food and housing stability, a joint research effort has found.
The situation was outlined in a report compiled by CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a nonprofit group based in Boston, in collaboration with the Society of American Indian Dentists, the National Indian Health Board and Southern Plains Tribal Health Board.
Poor oral health can have far-reaching consequences, not only as a precursor to other physical health issues but as a factor in depression and mental health issues, said Myechia Minter-Jordan, CareQuest’s president and CEO. Poor oral health can also prevent people from getting jobs or affect elderly people’s ability to eat, she added.