Disability-adjusted life years ; Global burden of disease ; Oral health
Abstract
Measuring and quantifying the burden of disease (BoD) is crucial for healthcare policy-related decisions. For this purpose, summary measures of population health (SMPH) have been proposed to overcome the limitations of prevalence, incidence, and mortality. Oral health remains separated from the mainstream healthcare system, and the lack of reliable epidemiological data has been pointed out as the cause. In this study, we aimed to understand the flow of international and domestic BoD research related to oral disorders and the direction in which those studies should advance in the future. It is necessary to continuously revise the previously measured BoD of oral disorders and calculate the BoD by performing subdivisions, starting from the development of lay descriptions. Furthermore, developing elaborate BoD measurement methodologies that reflect the complexity of the oral cavity is essential.