Dentistry is one of the prosperous spheres in health care, as teeth are the essential elements of the human body. Furthermore, nowadays, dental caries is one of the most prevalent issues, and this fact makes it one of the most important diseases, which requires intervention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dental caries, 2015). The primary goal of this paper is to determine a rationale for the selection of the topic of dental caries in adults. The reasoning is provided with the assistance of statistical information and data. Furthermore, the potential approaches to address the issue have to be developed to ensure the improvement of dentistry in a positive direction. In the end, the conclusions are drawn to summarize the primary findings of the paper.
There are several reasons for the selection of the problem. Firstly, this issue is common in the United States of America, as 91% of adults (20-64 years old) have caries (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dental caries, 2015). In turn, 27% of the current American population has “untreated tooth decay” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dental caries, 2015). Meanwhile, dental carry is more dangerous for older adults (40-64 years old), as only 34% of this social segment has all of the permanent teeth (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dental caries, 2015). It remains apparent that the problem has been under vehement discussion, as Health People 2020 views the improvement of oral health as one of its critical objectives (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy People 2020, 2016). The statistical information emphasized above highlights that dental caries is a prevalent disease and requires introducing effective prevention and intervention strategies. Consequently, these aspects are the primary definers for the selection of dental caries in adults as a topic for further research.
As for the approach to address the problem of dental caries in adults, one of them is the necessity to conduct a sufficient literature review to define the right sampling group for future intervention. Scientific journals and governmental websites will be used to address the issue. This procedure could be regarded as the first step in designing the methodology. The application of quantitative metrics (percentage of visits, the number of decayed teeth, and age of the adults) will depict the overall image of dental caries among adults. Meanwhile, the information acquired from the patients’ visits and records will have a beneficial impact on the understanding of the problem. Furthermore, qualitative methods could be applied to determine the rationale for the development of this disease among adults. In this case, this information could be acquired with the assistance of semi-structured interviews. It could be said that the data gathered above could determine the possible intervention strategies to prevent the further spread of the disease.
Based on the factors provided above, the importance of oral care cannot be underestimated among adults, as a significant share of the population experiences problems with teeth. The primary causes for the selection of the problem for the research are the widespread nature of the issue and recognition of the oral disease in Healthy People 2020. As for the approaches to address the issue, a simultaneous application of qualitative and quantitative methods will have a beneficial impact on the understanding of the overall image of the problem and determine the rationale for the high percentage of dental caries among the adults.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dental caries and tooth loss in adults in the United States, 2011-2012. (2015). Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy People 2020: Oral health objectives. (2016). Web.