The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.
REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Environmental, Aviation and Space Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1406631
. Oral and dental tissues considerations for holistic care during long haul space flights
Provisionally accepted- 1 School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith Health, Griffith University, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia
- 2 Other, Moree, Australia
- 3 Space Port Australia, Moree, Australia
- 4 Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
The health of astronauts during and after the return from long haul space missions is paramount. There is plethora of research in the literature about the medical side of astronauts’ health, however, the dental and oral health of the space crew seem to be overlooked with limited information in the literature about the effects of the space environment and microgravity on the oral and dental tissues. In this article, we shed some light on the latest available research related to space dentistry and provide some hypotheses that could guide the directions of future research and help maintain the oral health of space crews. We also promote for the importance of regenerative medicine and dentistry as well highlight the opportunities available in the expanding field of bioprinting/biomanufacturing through utilizing the effects of microgravity on stem cells culture techniques. Finally, we provide recommendations for adopting a multidisciplinary approach for oral health care during long haul space flights.
Keywords: Bone Density, Oral microbiology, Dental Care, microgravity, Space Travel, Streptococcus Mutants, Xerostomia
Received: 16 Apr 2024; Accepted: 12 Jun 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Bakr, Caswell, Hussein, Shamel and Al-Ankily. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Gabrielle M. Caswell, Other, Moree, Australia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Habiba Hussein
4