For Those in Poverty, Dental Care and Sanitation Can Be Spiraling Cycles

For those in poverty, dental care is a luxury beyond their ability to afford. And yet, oral hygiene is needed in order to maintain overall health. According to one study, “oral infection, especially periodontitis, may affect the course and pathogenesis of a number of systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, and low birth weight.”[1]

Most people don’t realize the cyclical nature of many diseases for those in poverty. For instance, dental hygiene is affected by how the mouth is cared for and what goes into the mouth. If someone in poverty does not have access to clean water or healthy food, then their dental care will suffer and the rest of their health will suffer because of all these factors.

Very closely related, though we may not want to think of it, is a person’s access to proper sanitation or waste management. Many rural villages in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have difficult cycles of no sanitation, leading to contamination of crops and ground water, which cause illness and diarrhea. This leads the people needing to use the bathroom again, but with no place to go, they resort to open defecation. And the cycle goes back around again. Eventually the contaminated water ends up being used to drink or cook or clean with by the villagers, only continuing the cycle

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