Ukrainian Journal Health of Woman. 2026. 2(183): 129-133. doi: 10.15574/HW.2026.2(183).129133
Herasym L. M.¹, Feger O. V.², Pohoriliak R. Y.², Kaliy V. V.², Keretsman A. O.^2
1Bukovinian State Medical University, Chernivtsi, Ukraine
²Uzhhorod National University, Ukraine

For citation: Herasym LM, Feger OV, Pohoriliak RY, Kaliy VV, Keretsman AO. (2026). Medical and social determinants of dental health of the female population. Ukrainian Journal Health of Woman. 2(183): 129-133. doi: 10.15574/HW.2026.2(183).129133
Article received: Dec 24, 2025. Accepted for publication: Mar 22, 2026.

The dental health of the female population is an important component of public health, the formation of which is influenced by a complex of medical, biological, social, and behavioral factors. Hormonal changes in different periods of a woman's life, socio-economic status, level of medical literacy, lifestyle, availability of dental care and preventive practices are of particular importance. The cumulative effect of these factors determines the prevalence of dental diseases, the timeliness of their detection, treatment, and the effectiveness of preventive measures.
Aim – to conduct an analysis of modern scientific data on the medical and social determinants of dental health of the female population and to determine the main factors that affect the state of oral health and the availability of dental care.
A systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted in accordance with the generally accepted principles of evidence-based medicine. Information search was carried out in international scientometric databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Scientific publications published during 2015-2025, devoted to the study of medical and social determinants of women's dental health, accessibility of dental care, prevention of dental diseases, and organizational aspects of providing dental care to the female population, are included in the analysis. During the research, methods of systematization, bibliosemantic analysis, comparison, generalization and synthesis of scientific data were used. It has been established that the dental health of women is formed under the influence of interrelated biological and social factors. Hormonal changes associated with puberty, pregnancy, and menopause may increase the risk of dental disease, while socioeconomic inequalities, educational attainment, financial resources, medical awareness, and limited access to dental care negatively influence preventive behavior and timeliness of treatment. The generalization of literary data indicates the essential role of medical and social determinants in the formation of inequality in the dental health of the female population.
Conclusions. The analysis of scientific sources confirms that the dental health of the female population is determined by a complex of interrelated medical and social factors. Improving the effectiveness of dental disease prevention, ensuring equal access to dental care and implementing intersectoral measures aimed at reducing social inequalities are important components of maintaining women's dental health.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Keywords: dental health, female population, medical and social determinants, dental care, public health.

REFERENCES

1. Baskaradoss JK. (2018, Oct 24). Relationship between oral health literacy and oral health status. BMC Oral Health. 18(1): 172. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-018-0640-1; PMid:30355347 PMCid:PMC6201552

2. D'Aiuto F, Suvan J, Siripaiboonpong N, Gatzoulis MA, D'Aiuto F. (2025, Feb 12). The root of the matter: Linking oral health to chronic diseases prevention. Int J Cardiol Congenit Heart Dis. 19: 100574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcchd.2025.100574; PMid:40066344 PMCid:PMC11891740

3. De Abreu MHNG, Cruz AJS, Borges-Oliveira AC, Martins RC, Mattos FF. (2021, Dec 20). Perspectives on Social and Environmental Determinants of Oral Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 18(24): 13429. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413429; PMid:34949037 PMCid:PMC8708013

4. Dye BA. (2017, Apr). The Global Burden of Oral Disease: Research and Public Health Significance. J Dent Res. 96(4): 361-363. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034517693567; PMid:28318392 PMCid:PMC6728669

5. Firmino RT, Ferreira FM, Paiva SM, Granville-Garcia AF, Fraiz FC, Martins CC. (2017, Aug). Oral health literacy and associated oral conditions: A systematic review. J Am Dent Assoc. 148(8): 604-613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2017.04.012; PMid:28477838

6. Firmino RT, Martins CC, Faria LDS, Martins Paiva S, Granville-Garcia AF et al. (2018, Jun). Association of oral health literacy with oral health behaviors, perception, knowledge, and dental treatment related outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Public Health Dent. 78(3): 231-245. https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.12266; PMid:29498754

7. Gomaa N, Tenenbaum H, Glogauer M, Quiñonez C. (2019, Dec). The Biology of Social Adversity Applied to Oral Health. J Dent Res. 98(13): 1442-1449. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034519876559; PMid:31547748

8. Islam NAB, Haque A. (2024, Jan 29). Pregnancy-related dental problems: A review. Heliyon. 10(3): e24259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24259; PMid:38322854 PMCid:PMC10845246

9. Lévesque M, Levine A, Bedos C. (2016). Humanizing Oral Health Care through Continuing Education on Social Determinants of Health: Evaluative Case Study of a Canadian Private Dental Clinic. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 27(3): 971-992. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2016.0139; PMid:27524746

10. Murtomaa H, Varenne B, Phantumvanit P, Chikte U, Khoshnevisan MH, Fatemi NM et al. (2022, May 21). Neglected epidemics: The role of oral public health to advance global health. J Glob Health. 12: 02001. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.12.02001; PMid:35594383 PMCid:PMC9122238

11. Obeidat R, Heaton LJ, Tranby EP, O'Malley J, Timothé P. (2024, Dec 20). Social determinants of health linked with oral health in a representative sample of U.S. adults. BMC Oral Health. 24(1): 1518. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-024-05257-8; PMid:39707273 PMCid:PMC11660569

12. O'Brien KJ, Forde VM, Mulrooney MA, Purcell EC, Flaherty GT. (2022, Mar 29). Global status of oral health provision: Identifying the root of the problem. Public Health Chall. 1(1): e6. https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.6; PMid:40496910 PMCid:PMC12039725

13. Peres MA, Macpherson LMD, Weyant RJ, Daly B, Venturelli R, Mathur MR et al. (2019, Jul 20). Oral diseases: a global public health challenge. Lancet. 394(10194): 249-260. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31146-8. Erratum in: Lancet. 2019 Sep 21; 394(10203): 1010. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32079-3; PMid:31493889

14. Pitts NB, Twetman S, Fisher J, Marsh PD. (2021, Dec). Understanding dental caries as a non-communicable disease. Br Dent J. 231(12): 749-753. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-021-3775-4; PMid:34921271 PMCid:PMC8683371

15. Pourat N, Lu C, Yu-Lefler H, Picillo B, Wendt M. (2025, Mar). The association of social determinants of health with oral health status among patients of health resources and services administration funded health centers in the United States. J Public Health Dent. 85(1): 61-72. https://doi.org/10.1111/jphd.12654; PMid:39711071

16. Reda SF, Reda SM, Thomson WM, Schwendicke F. (2018, Feb). Inequality in Utilization of Dental Services: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. 108(2): e1-e7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304180; PMid:29267052 PMCid:PMC5846590

17. Sabato E, Owens J, Mauro AM, Findley P, Lamba S, Fenesy K. (2018, Mar). Integrating Social Determinants of Health into Dental Curricula: An Interprofessional Approach. J Dent Educ. 82(3): 237-245. https://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.018.022; PMid:29496801

18. Tenenbaum A, Azogui-Levy S. (2023, May 17). Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, and Literacy of Pregnant Women: A Scoping Review. Oral Health Prev Dent. 21: 185-198. doi: 10.3290/j.ohpd.b4100965.

19. Watt RG, Daly B, Allison P, Macpherson LMD, Venturelli R, Listl S et al. (2019, Jul 20). Ending the neglect of global oral health: time for radical action. Lancet. 394(10194): 261-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31133-X; PMid:31327370