Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine, South Jordan, UT, USA.
Oregon Health and Science University - Portland State University Institute on Aging, Portland, OR, USA.
Am J Mens Health. 2021 May-Jun;15(3):15579883211016361. doi: 10.1177/15579883211016361.
Sex and gender related health disparities in oral health remain an underappreciated and often over looked aspect of well-being. The goal of this narrative review is to identify sex and gender related oral health disparities by summarizing the current literature related to differences in oral health between men and women. The review identified that men are more likely to: ignore their oral health, have poorer oral hygiene habits, and experience higher rates of periodontal disease, oral cancer, and dental trauma. Men also visit dentists less frequently and compared to women seek oral treatment more often for an acute problem and less often for disease prevention. Women exhibit more positive attitudes about dental visits, greater oral health literacy, and demonstrate better oral health behaviors than men. Men disproportionately develop periodontal diseases due to a combination of biological and gender related reasons including immune system factors, hormone differences, poorer oral hygiene behaviors, and greater tobacco use. There is a male to female ratio of 2:1 for oral cancer, largely attributable to more tobacco use, heavier use of alcohol, and longer sun exposure. Minority men experience a disproportionate burden of oral health disparities because of both their gender and race/ethnic identities. In conclusion, this review identifies several differences between men and women related to oral health and highlights the need for further research to better understand these disparities and how to incorporate them into developing prevention, education and treatment strategies to improve oral health in men.
性和性别相关的健康差异在口腔健康中仍然是一个被低估且经常被忽视的福祉方面。本叙述性综述的目的是通过总结有关男性和女性口腔健康差异的现有文献,确定与性和性别相关的口腔健康差异。综述发现,男性更有可能:忽视他们的口腔健康,口腔卫生习惯较差,牙周病、口腔癌和牙齿创伤的发病率较高。男性看牙医的频率也较低,与女性相比,男性更倾向于因急性问题而寻求口腔治疗,而不是为了预防疾病。女性对牙科就诊的态度更积极,口腔健康知识水平更高,口腔健康行为也优于男性。男性由于免疫系统因素、激素差异、较差的口腔卫生行为和更多的烟草使用等多种生物学和性别相关原因,牙周病的发病率不成比例地更高。口腔癌的男女比例为 2:1,这主要归因于更多的烟草使用、更大量的饮酒和更长时间的阳光暴露。少数族裔男性由于其性别和种族/民族身份,承受着不成比例的口腔健康差异负担。总之,本综述确定了男性和女性在口腔健康方面的几个差异,并强调需要进一步研究,以更好地了解这些差异,以及如何将其纳入制定预防、教育和治疗策略,以改善男性的口腔健康。
Am J Mens Health. 2021
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