The Latino Oral Healthcare Paradox

Instead of projecting discriminatory labels on minority populations that create barriers to healthcare, we should instead focus on the systematic issue at hand and analyze the biological and cultural patterns that limit certain populations from achieving oral healthcare equality.

Curious to what this really entailed, over the past year I read a collection of articles, journals, and studies relating to oral health disparities. The statement above captures my initial speculation but I wanted to further explore the structural and driving determinants of disparities within oral healthcare.

One specific article, “A Latino Oral Healthcare Paradox”, highlights Mexican immigrant parents whose U.S born children reportedly had worse oral healthcare status than their parents did in Mexico. This scenario contradicts the usual argument that healthcare is better in the U.S. than developing countries. Angelica, an immigrant from Mexico, describes her son Oscar as having “severe oral health issues; at 2 years, Oscar had blackened teeth and they began to fall out” (Horton, Barker). I initially wondered, “Why is this the case after immigrating to the U.S.?” One of the largest reasons is because of a far-reaching structural determinant of healthcare; socioeconomic status. I

n the United States, wealth is power and without money, the system will work against you. For immigrants who arrive to this “land of freedom” they are often faced with a surprising slap of reality. In the case of Angelica, she could only afford high calorie and sugar laden foods and drinks that coated her son’s teeth with plaque and tar. When in Mexico, immigrants had access to wholesome and natural foods that did not come with an unaffordable price tag.

The ultimate social standing of a family determines whether or not they have access to a basic human need, food. The conditions by which a population is born into should not be a controlling factor of inequalities within socioeconomic standings. Families in America need to have basic human rights, just like Angelica and her son had in Mexico. Having these equalities for something so basic, like food, will ensure families already having so little at hand will have their oral health at a controlled state. It is essential to target these specific populations who are at a disadvantage in society because oral health is not something to be ignored, but rather an integral part of human health and survival.

And so to conclude, the story of Angelica highlights the Latino health paradox and overall disparities within low income communities within America. As a community, we should explore opportunities to lead the change and eliminate this profound disparity within oral healthcare.

Sources

Horton, Sarah B. Barker, Judith C. “A LATINO ORAL HEALTH PARADOX? USING ETHNOGRAPHY TO SPECIFY THE BIOCULTURAL FACTORS BEHIND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS.” American Anthropological Association, 24 11 2010, https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1556-4797.2010.01052.x.