Epidemiology: Oral Epidemiology in Clinical Practice

Studies in oral epidemiology provide insights into normal biological processes and oral diseases, identifying populations at risk or requiring special care. They also compare regional, environmental, social, and access-related differences in dental care. Additionally, oral epidemiology evaluates preventive interventions for disease control and assesses the effectiveness and quality of oral health programs.³

To understand epidemiology, it is important to understand the definitions of the following terms:

Prevalence: This is the proportion of individuals with disease (cases) in a population at a specific point in time.³

Incidence: This is the number or proportion of individuals in a population who experience new disease during a specific time period.³

Trends: These are the changes or differences in the prevalence or incidence of disease with respect to time, location, or socioeconomics.³