Why dentists should take a greater interest in sex and gender

Abstract

This brief review highlights the lack of evidence relating to sex and gender differences in oral health as well as the widespread conceptual confusion and conflation that often underlies them. A broader biomedical understanding of these issues will offer a valuable framework within which differences in oral health between women and men can be further explored. This in turn would facilitate the development of the evidence base necessary to optimise the efficacy of dental practice in meeting the needs of both women and men patients. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.