title: Exploring the relationship between childhood adversity and oral health: An anecdotal approach and integrative view.
abstract: During the past two decades, increasing recognition has been given to a relationship between oral health and systemic diseases. Associated systemic conditions include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, low birth weight and preterm births, respiratory diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, osteoporosis, and, in particular among oral conditions, periodontal disease. Low-grade inflammation is a common denominator linking these disorders. Applying an anecdotal approach and an integrative view, the medical and dental histories of two women document increasing ill health subsequent to incidences of maltreatment and sexual abuse, including oral penetration, at an early age. Comprehensive oral rehabilitation was required in both cases. These cases open for medical insight with regard to their implicit patho-physiology, when integrated with current evidence from neuroscience, endocrinology, and immunology, converging in the concepts of allostasis and allostatic load. In cases such as those presented in this paper, primary care physicians (family doctors, General Practitioners) and dentists may be the first to identify an etiological pattern. This report underlines the importance of increased and enhanced multidisciplinary research cooperation among health professionals. Our hypothesis is that childhood adversity may affect all aspects of human health, including adult oral health.
authors.affiliation: General Practice Research Unit, Department of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), P.O. Box 8905, 7491 Trondheim, Norway; Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: anlui-k@online.no.
authors.forename: Anna Luise
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kirkengen
authors.affiliation: Section of Pharmacology/Pharmacy, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lygre
mesh_terms: D052636:Allostasis / Q000276:immunology; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007154:Immune System Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D018448:Models, Immunological; D009909:Oral Health; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000276:immunology*