Alaska Natives have the worst oral health of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. More than half of children and adults suffer from caries and other oral diseases. This paper will examine the social and cultural causes that affect the dental health of the Alaskan Native. Diet, traditional habits, and hygiene practices will be reviewed and evaluated from a dental perspective.
Alaskan Native Diet
The Alaskan Native diet is driven by a food system in rural communities based on a mixed in-kind and cash economy. Fish, poultry, and berries are natural products that people produce themselves (Hopkins et al., 2022). Market goods are brought to Alaska by air. They are high in sugar and heavily processed to increase their shelf life. Over the past 60 years, the diet of the Alaskan Native has changed a lot (Hopkins et al., 2022). Consumption of fish rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals has decreased, and people get the bulk of carbohydrates from sweet and high-calorie foods in stores.
The reason for this phenomenon is partly the harsh climate and remote geographical location, which complicates the supply of fresh products from the mainland. In addition, settlements are often far from roads, making communication difficult. Another reason that significantly affects the Alaskan Native diet is the population’s economic situation. The income per person here is about $11,000, and more than 35% of the population lives below the poverty line (Hopkins et al., 2022). This situation means that the diet followed by the Alaskan Native depends on the region’s food security and affordability.
The Emergence of the Diet
Historically, Alaskan Natives have been active hunters, anglers, and gatherers. The main diet consisted of fish, seafood, poultry, berries, and vegetables. The processes of climate change and the reduction of snow days have led to traditional subsistence economic activities being crowded out (Bersamin et al., 2019). In addition, government authorities annually impose a limit on hunting and fishing, restricting residents. Gradually, products made for the mass market began to appear in the diet of Alaskan Natives.
The geographical and climatic features of the region dictated the conditions for suppliers to choose those products that can be stored for a long time without loss of quality. Today, the Alaskan Native diet consists of natural and market-based products. Gradually, the share of market goods increases (Bersamin et al., 2019). With the transition to a more sedentary lifestyle, Alaskan Natives began consuming more fast carbohydrates, less protein, and more minerals.
Oral or Dental Implications of Following the Diet
The abundance of sugar and the lack of minerals such as fluorine and calcium leads to oral diseases. Another Alaskan Natives feature, which leads to a deterioration in the condition of the teeth, is smoking. People use smoking and chewing tobacco daily out of habit and as a ritual act. Smoking accelerates the development of tartar and oral diseases. The components of tobacco smoke impair blood circulation in the gums and cause atrophy of the mucous membrane. As a result, people suffer from periodontitis, which leads to tooth loss.
Dental culture features
Indigenous peoples’ cultural and religious identity is associated with various factors that affect health. Research shows (Brega et al., 2019) that high ethnic identity is associated with higher levels of positive health attitudes and lower rates of adverse health behaviors. Parents who were more strongly supportive of maintaining their tribal identity, values, and customs had significantly higher oral hygiene knowledge scores and more positive attitudes toward oral hygiene.
Hygiene products used by Alaskan Native
Alaskan Natives are quite knowledgeable about oral hygiene. Most Alaska Natives brush their teeth at least once a day to prevent cavities and other mouth diseases. However, only 42% of children brush their teeth daily (Brega et al., 2019). This indicator does not depend on whether the parents brush their teeth. Alaska Native awareness of fluoride is worse. Nearly half believed fluoride in water or toothpaste could harm health (Hiratsuka et al., 2019). Most parents did not know if it save to choose fluoride toothpaste for children and how much toothpaste a child needed (Hiratsuka et al., 2019). Lack of knowledge about oral hygiene leads to an increase in oral diseases.
Alaska Natives have a law percentage of those who visit the dentist for preventive care. Although, the prevention of oral diseases is crucial in maintaining dental health. Most adults only go to the dentist for emergency care for pain relief (Jamieson et al., 2020). This trend can be explained by the shortage of dentists in the settlements and the high prices for their services. Treatment and prevention of dental diseases are more accessible only to children. Gradual expansion of dental health programs may improve dental disease among Alaska Natives.
Conclusion
A large percentage of Alaska Natives suffer from dental disease. In part, this may be due to social and cultural characteristics. For example, tobacco smoking is part of a culture that people do not intend to give up, but it is very harmful to health. In addition, the diet has a significant impact on dental health. Historical and cultural traditions, as well as ecological, social and economic factors affect the modern Alaska Native diet. Thus, dental health is influenced by many factors that go far beyond culture and traditions.
References
Hopkins, S. E., Orr, E., Boyer, B. B., & Thompson, B. (2022). Culturally adapting an evidence-based intervention to promote a healthy diet and lifestyle for Yup’ik Alaska native communities. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 82(1), 2159888. Web.
Bersamin, A., Izumi, B. T., Nu, J., O’brien, D. M., & Paschall, M. (2019). Strengthening adolescents’ connection to their traditional food system improves diet quality in remote Alaska Native communities: Results from the Neqa Elicarvigmun Pilot Study. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 9(5), 952-961. Web.
Brega, A. G., Henderson, W. G., Harper, M., Thomas, J. F., Manson, S. M., Batliner, T. S., & Albino, J. (2019). Association of ethnic identity with oral health knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and outcomes on the Navajo Nation. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 30(1), 143. Web.
Hiratsuka, V. Y., Robinson, J. M., Greenlee, R., & Refaat, A. (2019). Oral health beliefs and oral hygiene behaviours among parents of urban Alaska Native children. International journal of circumpolar health, 78(1), 1586274. Web.
Jamieson, L., Hedges, J., McKinstry, S., Koopu, P., & Venner, K. (2020). How neoliberalism shapes indigenous oral health inequalities globally: Examples from five countries. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(23), 8908. Web.