Periodontal disease: Epidemiological approaches for its analysis as a public health concern

Abstract

The way how health problems are defined allow conceptual and methodological developments that lead to different outcomes and specific analytical and preventive approaches to confront problems. This essay aims to show some of the main epidemiological approaches that have been used to address the oral health–disease process, in particular the periodontal disease. Regarding the latter, different approaches to their understanding are proposed, which have been influenced by the biological-curative model, whose scope is limited and focused on the identification of risk factors and on demonstrating causal relationships. However, more comprehensive alternatives are also portrayed from social epidemiology that include social determinants in the analysis of the health-disease process, which affects and influences this process in the communities.