The history and importance of aeronautic dentistry.

Abstract

Current projected missions to Mars will require 18 to 24 months of exposure to microgravity conditions, which might have serious effects on human physiology, including that of the oral cavity. Very few studies have been published on the effect of microgravity on the oral cavity, although it has been reported that microgravity increases the prevalence of periodontitis, dental caries, bone loss and fracture in the jaw bone, pain and numbness in teeth and oral cavity tissue, salivary duct stones, and oral cancer. Aeronautic dentistry is a new field, so further study of the effects of microgravity are required. In this article, we review the role of aeronautic dentistry in space missions and offer our recommendations for the future growth of this field.