Research

Does a healthy smile translate into a better social life; especially as we age? Backed by new funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), a team led by Noha Gomaa, professor and associate director of research at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, is looking at the impact of access to oral health care on the well-being of older Canadians. Gomaa and her collaborators are leveraging the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging – a large, national research platform that follows a cohort of middle-aged and older Canadians over time – to determine if better access to oral health care can lead to improvements in overall health and help older Canadians lead healthier and more socially active lives. “With the recent launch of the Canadian Dental Care Plan, investigating factors of accessibility to oral health care and their contribution to overall health and psychosocial well-being will help us evaluate the ‘return on investment’ in oral health care. In addition to the individual factors, such as the availability and type of dental insurance, we are particularly interested in the geographical dispersion of dentists across the country,” said Gomaa, who is also cross-appointed to the departments of epidemiology and biostatistics and pathology and laboratory medicine. The project will investigate whether individuals in areas with a scarcity of dentists, or where there is a struggle to see a dental professional for geographical or financial reasons, will also experience impacts on their psychosocial health, along with a higher burden of chronic diseases.  

Oral health and chronic disease

Gomaa and team have previously investigated issues of access to oral health care and the impact on oral health and chronic disease outcomes in Canada’s aging population. Recently published work in The JDR-Clinical & Translational Research demonstrates improved access to care for those with sub-optimal oral health can help reduce their burden of other chronic diseases. Interestingly, in another study, the need for enhanced access to oral health care was more prominent in older women, aligning with studies showing Canadian women to be more affected by oral health inequalities than men. Gomaa hopes the results from this work will have an impact on public policy as Canada and the world face a growing aging population. “With aging comes the burden of chronic diseases, including those that affect the oral cavity, such as tooth decay, periodontal diseases, tooth loss and subsequently the lack of a functional dentition,” said Gomaa.

“We are focusing on this age group because we want to make sure that as people live longer, they retain a healthy mouth that enables them to eat, speak, smile and partake in social activities, without pain, discomfort or embarrassment.” – Noha Gomaa, professor and associate director of research at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

As more is learned about how individual and geographic barriers to oral health care access impact overall health, Gomaa said her current work will inform health-care workforce planning for areas with deficiencies. “There is no health without oral health, and this is all part of the bigger picture of ensuring that the mouth is brought back into body.”