Examining Women’s Dental Disorders through Multi-Level Sex and Gender Analysis: With Implications for Korean Women’s Oral Health

Abstract

Sex/gender differences in oral health have been recognized, but not yet actively investigated by dental academia. This article reviews preexisting research on sex/gender differences in two dental disorders with exceptionally high prevalence among women: Sjögren’s syndrome and dental fear. These disorders have existed in the blind spot of both traditional male-centered medical academia and Gendered Innovation. We adopted Gendered Innovation’s overarching themes and devised an analytical method of pattern/cause/cure, which follows a medical research narrative. Using our pattern/cause/cure analysis, we investigated what has been established and what remains to be investigated in women’s oral health. Furthermore, the intersectional nature of South Korean women’s oral health not only involves sex differences in dental disorders but also deepens our understanding of inter-female differences.