This has to be one of the stupidest articles I have ever read. Go to the link. Show me the cause and effect. The results could just be people not brushing in these areas or cost of dental care. MJ
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Firearm Violence and Dental Health: A Neighborhood Analysis in 100 U.S. Cities, 2014–2022
Semenza, Daniel C. et al.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 0, Issue 0
Abstract
Introduction
This
study examined the relationship between community-level firearm
violence and dental health, focusing on dental care utilization and
edentulism (i.e., total tooth loss) .
Methods
The
authors analyzed 20, 332 census tracts within the 100 largest U.S.
cities from 2014 to 2022. Dental care utilization and edentulism rates
were sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
PLACES project. Firearm violence data was drawn from the American
Violence Project. Lagged random intercept mixed-effects models estimated
associations between firearm violence and dental outcomes, adjusting
for neighborhood demographic and socioeconomic covariates. Analyses were
performed in 2024.
Results
Increases
in firearm violence were associated with lower dental care utilization
and higher rates of edentulism. A 1-shooting increase corresponded to a
0.01% reduction in dental care utilization and a 0.06% increase in
edentulism the following year.
Conclusions
Neighborhoods
experiencing higher levels of firearm violence face disparities in
dental care and oral health, highlighting firearm violence as a social
determinant of oral health. Interventions such as mobile dental clinics
and integrating dental care into violence intervention programs could
mitigate disparities in dental care access and oral health in
communities affected by firearm violence.
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