Food Security, Nutrition Transition, and Oral Health in Marginalized Populations: Untangling the Web of Intersecting Inequities

DOI: https://doi.org/10.66715/jirf/2026.v1.i2.210221 | Review Paper | 2026 | Volume 1 | Issue 02 | Page 210-221

1. Dr. Shubhra Chandan Saha, PGT Dept of Public Health Dentistry, Institute of Dental Sciences, Siksha O Anusandhan (Deemed to be University). drshubhracsaha@gmail.com ORCID-0009-0007-5540-6461 

2. Dr. Dharmashree Satyarup, Professor, Dept of Public Health Dentistry, Institute of Dental Sciences, Siksha O Anusandhan (Deemed to be University)., dharmashree_s@yahoo.com ORCID: 0000-0002-4969-5830 

3. Dr. Radha Prasanna Dalai, Associate Professor, Dept of Public Health Dentistry, Institute of Dental Sciences, Siksha O Anusandhan (Deemed to be University)., radhadalai@soa.ac.in 

4. Dr. Swati Patnaik, Professor and HOD, Dept of Public Health Dentistry, Institute of Dental Sciences, Siksha O Anusandhan (Deemed to be University). swatipatnaik@soa.ac.in

   
   

Corresponding Author: 

Dr. Dharmashree Satyarup

Professor, Dept of Public Health Dentistry, 

Institute of Dental Sciences, 

Siksha O Anusandhan (Deemed to be University) 

dharmashree_s@yahoo.com

Food Security, Nutrition Transition, and Oral Health in Marginalized Populations: Untangli.

Download • 274KB

Abstract

Background: Millions of people living in poverty, displacement, or social exclusion face a daily reality in which consistent access to nutritious food is uncertain. This food insecurity carries profound consequences for physical health; including oral health; yet dentistry remains a largely overlooked dimension of food and nutrition policy globally.

Methods: This narrative review draws on peer-reviewed studies, published systematic reviews, and international policy frameworks to examine how food insecurity, the modern nutrition transition, and oral disease outcomes interact within marginalized populations. Sources consulted include population-based surveys, prospective cohort studies, and programmatic evaluations published primarily between 2019 and 2025.

Results: Strong and consistent evidence connects food insecurity with higher prevalence of untreated caries, periodontitis, and tooth loss across children, working-age adults, and older populations alike. The nutrition transition; marked by a global shift toward cheap, ultra-processed, micronutrient-poor food products; worsens this picture by deepening dietary monotony and creating conditions favourable to oral disease. Critically, poor oral health then feeds back into nutritional vulnerability, trapping affected individuals in a cycle that is difficult to break without addressing both dimensions simultaneously. Structural barriers; unaffordable dental care, geographic isolation, weak health literacy; pile further disadvantage onto those already least able to cope.

Conclusion: Oral health belongs inside food security and SDG-aligned public health frameworks; not at their margins. Practical, evidence-supported pathways exist, from produce prescription programs in dental clinics to insurance reforms and school-based interventions, and these deserve far greater policy investment, particularly for populations most often excluded from mainstream health agendas.

Keywords: Dental Caries; Diet, Healthy; Food Insecurity; Food, Processed; Nutrition Transition; Oral Health; Public Health; Sustainable Development; Vulnerable Populations