Periodontitis, Its Associations, and Prevention

Abstract

The ultimate goal of studying associations with diseases is to plan, implement, and evaluate preventive strategies. Today, after reviewing the body of evidence, one needs to ask: What has not been learned yet regarding periodontitis associations and its prevention? Current recommendations to prevent periodontitis are mostly limited to individual patient care while population-based approaches are nearly absent. Current strategies are not only time-consuming and costly but can be also ineffective to combat disease burden in populations. To initiate and sustain successful outcomes, prevention needs to be applied at multiple levels. Interventions need to target unhealthy behaviors along with their associated social and physical environmental constraints. The chapter presents highlights from current research on associations with periodontitis, its limitations, and the need to understand pathways linking periodontitis with its exposures over the life course. Finally, a suggested multilevel strategy for periodontitis prevention was outlined.