Social Justice in Dental Research.

Abstract

The renowned father of modern pathology, Rudolf Virchow, stated that “medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing else but medicine on a large scale” (Mackenbach 2009). Virchow’s beliefs stemmed from his experiences during the Silesian typhus epidemic in the mid-19th century after having observed the living conditions of communities most affected by the disease. Due to his belief that health is determined by one’s social conditions, his numerous essays and his subsequent political activities aimed to improve these determinants of health, he is also credited with being the father of social medicine (Lange 2021). The American Public Health Association (2023) describes these social determinants of health as follows: “The social circumstances in which we are born, live, and work play a greater role in longevity and overall health in the United States than genes, health insurance, and access to health services.” Because social determinants of health are primary factors associated with wellness and disease, it is politicians who are best positioned to facilitate social justice in health (Meili and Hewett 2016). Meili and Hewett (2016) emphasize that “if politicians truly did see themselves as the public’s physicians, we would have a far healthier society to show for it.” Those of us who are not politicians can address social justice issues within our own domains. While we are likely to be cognizant of the concepts of equity, diversity, and inclusion, we may not know exactly how to incorporate these principles within our own research programs. In this journal issue, Fleming and Burgette (2023) provide us with 3 specific steps that we can take to “integrate and sustain” equity, diversity, and inclusion within our oral health research programs. In this very engaging commentary, they clarify the issues and describe practical steps that can readily be taken to enrich our research proposals, reduce bias, and communicate appropriately. Of course, social justice must also extend to interactions between patients and their oral health care providers. Thus, educators have begun to include social justice principles within undergraduate dental education curricula. However, more research is needed to understand and address the barriers to equity in our dental students’ populations. To address this issue, Kontaxis and Esfandiari (2023) interviewed senior dental students, clinical instructors, and professors in a French-Canadian dental school on their perceptions of social justice and social justice education (SJE). Based on these interviews, the authors describe barriers to SJE, as well as administrative actions and teaching approaches that could lead to more effective social justice education outcomes (Kontaxis and Esfandiari 2023). Beyond the realm of social justice (“in a galaxy far, far away”), this issue also includes an illuminating research report on space travel. Space travel will become even more possible for larger numbers of people in the not-so-distant future. Thus, understanding the impact of space travel on the craniofacial structures is essential. Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis, Moussa et al. (2023) analyzed changes in craniofacial hard tissues during flights in space. They found a trend toward increased bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) and tissue mineral density (TMD) in rodents, as well as a significant increase in TMD in humans in the roof of the skull. However, BV/TV significantly decreased in the mandibles of spacefaring rodents. Based on these findings, the authors suggest that space travel may engender unanticipated and varied changes in craniofacial bones; they also report that a significant research gap exists in our understanding of spaceflight-related JCTXXX10.1177/23800844231158258Journal of Dental ResearchSocial Justice in Dental Research editorial2023