About this Research Topic
In recent years, an alarming number of global citizens lack proper access to nutrition, with one in three people worldwide facing food scarcity in 2020. This predicament has only been exacerbated by rising food prices due to factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-induced extreme weather, and geopolitical strife, especially affecting grain exports from Ukraine. As food affordability continues to decline, particularly in lower-income nations, this crisis deepens, prioritizing the need for research into its broader health impacts.
The trade-offs in dietary choices due to food insecurity, swapping wholesome foods for cheaper, processed alternatives rich in fats and sugars, directly correlate with worsening health metrics. Moreover, this dietary shift and the economic burden can cause those with chronic illnesses to neglect necessary medications, increasing risks further. Oral health, for example, suffers as diets rich in refined sugars lead to increased dental problems—a fact documented in studies among children and adults facing food hardships in locations as varied as the United States and Korea. Yet, despite considerable effects on public health, the correlation between food insecurity and oral health remains poorly explored.
This Research Topic aims to illuminate the intersections between food insecurity and oral health. To widen the scope of understanding, contributions are invited in various formats, enabling a thorough examination of this pressing issue. We welcome:
- Original Research: New studies elaborating the nexus between nutritional deficits and oral health.
- Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: Summative works that compile and analyze existing research to uncover novel insights.
- Mini-Reviews: Brief articles that capture the current state and future directions in the topic.
- Perspectives: Insightful discussions on how societal food challenges affect oral health and viable intervention methods.
The trade-offs in dietary choices due to food insecurity, swapping wholesome foods for cheaper, processed alternatives rich in fats and sugars, directly correlate with worsening health metrics. Moreover, this dietary shift and the economic burden can cause those with chronic illnesses to neglect necessary medications, increasing risks further. Oral health, for example, suffers as diets rich in refined sugars lead to increased dental problems—a fact documented in studies among children and adults facing food hardships in locations as varied as the United States and Korea. Yet, despite considerable effects on public health, the correlation between food insecurity and oral health remains poorly explored.
This Research Topic aims to illuminate the intersections between food insecurity and oral health. To widen the scope of understanding, contributions are invited in various formats, enabling a thorough examination of this pressing issue. We welcome:
- Original Research: New studies elaborating the nexus between nutritional deficits and oral health.
- Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: Summative works that compile and analyze existing research to uncover novel insights.
- Mini-Reviews: Brief articles that capture the current state and future directions in the topic.
- Perspectives: Insightful discussions on how societal food challenges affect oral health and viable intervention methods.
Keywords: Food Insecurity, Oral Health, Food shortage, Dental Caries, Diabetes, diet and oral health, refined carbohydrates, nutritional health, public health
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
