Can Dental Decay Affect Quality of Life?
Wanda Wright believes that oral health is about more than teeth and gums. It’s about quality of life as well. Wright, a Goldman School of Dental Medicine assistant professor of health policy and health services research, studies the relationship between oral health and quality of life for older teenagers. This group has the highest percentage of dental decay of any children’s age group.
Wright began her study three years ago, with funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health. She developed a questionnaire to find out what oral health issues are important to teenagers. It includes questions such as, “In the past three months, because of your teeth or mouth, how often did you not want to speak/read aloud in class?” The responses, from 100 teenagers, suggest that better oral health would improve their lives overall.
This year, Wright will administer the questionnaire to 500 teenagers and analyze their demographics — socioeconomic background, race, gender, and age — in more detail.
By looking at a combination of clinical and epidemiological data in oral health, “you get a comprehensive assessment of a person’s overall health,” she says.
Rebecca McNamara can be reached at ramc@bu.edu.