Cross-Sectional Analysis of Oral Health Indicators in India and the United States: A Comparative Narrative Review

Oral health constitutes a fundamental dimension of overall human wellbeing, yet oral diseases remain among the most prevalent non-communicable conditions affecting populations worldwide. This narrative review presents a cross-sectional comparative analysis of key oral health indicators in India and the United States, two nations that, despite their contrasting levels of economic development, share substantial burdens of dental caries, periodontal disease, oral cancer, and tooth loss, albeit with markedly different aetiological profiles, healthcare access structures, and policy responses. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature and authoritative international health reports published between 2000 and 2025, this review synthesises evidence across the domains of disease prevalence, risk factor distribution, social determinants, healthcare access, and policy frameworks. The global burden of oral disease, as documented by successive iterations of the Global Burden of Disease study, forms the contextual backdrop for this analysis. Evidence indicates that India bears a disproportionately high burden of oral cancer, largely attributable to the widespread use of smokeless tobacco and areca nut products, while the United States demonstrates significant disparities in dental caries and periodontal disease prevalence across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Both nations face structural challenges in integrating oral health into primary healthcare systems and extending equitable access to dental services. The review highlights the utility of the common risk factor approach as a unifying framework for designing oral health interventions that address shared upstream determinants. It concludes by identifying convergent research priorities, including the need for standardised surveillance, integration of oral health into universal health coverage frameworks, and the expansion of community-based preventive programmes.