Examining the social determinants of oral health using self-reported oral health measures and salivary biomarkers

Oral health is an important public health issue, as oral diseases affect millions of Americans. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the association between self-reported oral health, salivary biomarkers, and the social determinants of health (SDOH). This study uses a fully remote design with a non-invasive approach to assess oral health. Evaluating the effects of the social determinants of health is crucial to understanding the non-medical factors that may influence oral health outcomes, especially for marginalized communities affected by health disparities. This study utilized a cross-sectional design with 52 healthy adult participants across the United States. Participants provided saliva samples on three days and completed self-reported questionnaires. Biomarkers examined in this study included salivary IL-1β, IL-6, C-Reactive Protein, IgG, MMP-8, and transferrin concentrations. Key results of this study showed that MMP-8 had the strongest associations with self-reported teeth and gum health with higher concentrations associated with worse health, and IL-1β, IgG, and transferrin showed similar moderate associations. There were more significant associations between the SDOH and the self-reported oral health measures than the biomarker concentrations. Perceived stress, everyday discrimination, and air quality were statistically significantly associated with self-reported oral health. Education was statistically significant with self-reported teeth problems. IL-6 was significantly associated with neighborhood deprivation. This study provides a scalable approach for comprehensive investigations of oral health with future practice and policy implications.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Community Health

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Campbell, Kennedy

Contributors dc:contributor

• Riis, Jenna L.

• Salivary Biomarkers
• Self-reported Oral Health
• Oral Health Measures

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Kennedy Campbell

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130014

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F130014