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Medicine and Health Sciences

Western University

2023

Social determinants of health

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Oral Health Inequalities In Adolescents And Young Adults In Ontario, Maria Rahman Dec 2023

Oral Health Inequalities In Adolescents And Young Adults In Ontario, Maria Rahman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Oral health is consistently linked to physiological, psychological, and social aspects of well-being in adolescents and young adults. In this thesis, I aimed to examine the social determinants of oral health and dental care utilization. First, I conducted a scoping review of the literature, demonstrated the multifaceted nature of oral health and its connections to broader social and economic factors. Then, I conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian Community Health Survey which showed a social gradient in oral health and dental care utilization among adolescents and young adults in Ontario. When stratified by age, there was a protective association …


Social Capital Associates With Better Cognitive Health, Oral Health And Epigenetic Age Deceleration: Findings From The Canadian Longitudinal Study On Aging., Aileen Liang, Noha Gomaa Nov 2023

Social Capital Associates With Better Cognitive Health, Oral Health And Epigenetic Age Deceleration: Findings From The Canadian Longitudinal Study On Aging., Aileen Liang, Noha Gomaa

Department of Medicine Publications

Background: Social exposures are linked to an array of health outcomes, especially around aging. In this study, we examined the association of social capital, defined as social relationships and networks, with clinical and biological outcomes including cognitive health, oral inflammation, and epigenetic aging. Methods: We used data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) (n =1,479; aged 45–85 years), categorizing social capital as structural and cognitive capital. Oral inflammation was determined as the presence of gum bleeding. Epigenetic aging was computed as the difference between chronological age and DNA methylation age. We constructed multivariable regression models adjusted for covariates …