Oral health inequalities reflect social injustice. This is because oral health simultaneously reflects material circumstances, access to health services and inequities across the life course. Oral health inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations are among the largest in the world. This paper provides a critical commentary on Indigenous oral health inequalities at an international level based on existing literature and policies. We include the role of systematic and institutionalized racism and how this enables the persistence and flourishing of Indigenous oral health inequalities. We discuss theoretical frameworks—including Shiffman and Smith’s Political Power Framework—that underpin the power constructs that contribute to those. This theory posits that power is exercised in four ways: (i) the power of ideas; (ii) the power of the issue; (iii) the power of the actors; and (iv) the power of the political context. We will demonstrate, using examples of Indigenous oral health inequalities from several countries, how intervening at key leverage points, acting simultaneously on multiple subsystems and counteracting the social determinants of health are crucial strategies for ameliorating Indigenous oral health inequalities at a global level.

This community study evaluates complex interactions between macro and micro determinants of oral health in a local Indigenous population based on a theoretical framework of demographic, economic, and healthcare transformation over the last half century. The study population included all residents of eight Xavante villages in Central Brazil. Our hypothetical model posited multiple direct and indirect associations between dental caries and village groups with differentiated territorial and oral care histories, as well as household socioeconomic indicators and food acquisition patterns, individual sociodemographic characteristics, use of dental health services, and oral hygiene practices. Structural equation modelling methods were used to evaluate direct and indirect associations linking exogenous factors and dental caries. Results include 18 direct and 14 indirect statistically significant pathways between determinant variables and dental caries. Significant links with dental caries were shown for socioeconomic indicators, oral healthcare variables, household food acquisition patterns, sex, and age. These findings suggest that the oral health of Xavante residents in the villages studied is associated with determinant factors of different epidemiological and historical scales. The specific historical frame of territorial circumscription and demographic crisis followed by rapid population increase since the 1970s should be considered a cause-of-cause determinant of the economic, healthcare, and sociodemographic profile contributing to oral health among the Xavante. Considering the limitations of cross-sectional studies, our findings underline the importance for oral health determination of historical currents affecting minority ethnic groups within national societies.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological aspects of HIV infection and AIDS among indigenous peoples of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. METHODS: This is a descriptive epidemiological study on the occurrence and distribution of HIV infection and AIDS in the indigenous population assisted by the Distrito Sanitário Especial Indígena (Indigenous Special Health District) Mato Grosso do Sul between 2001 and 2014, based on three secondary databases. Annual rates of HIV and AIDS detection and prevalence were calculated, considering case distribution according to village, Health Base Pole and sociodemographic variables. Accumulated rates of detection, mortality and case fatality were calculated by ethnic group and for the Health Base Pole with the highest number of cases. RESULTS: The HIV detection rate fluctuated between 0.0 and 18.0/100 thousand people in the study period. For AIDS, there was no notification before 2007, but in 2012 its rate reached 16.6/100 thousand. HIV prevalence grew between 2001 and 2011, and it continuously grew for AIDS starting from 2007. The highest HIV detection rates occurred among Guarani peoples (167.1/100 thousand) and for AIDS, among the Kaiowá peoples (79.3/100 thousand); mortality and fatality rates were higher among the Kaiowá. Regarding the Dourados Health Base Pole, the AIDS detection rate increased, and the mortality and fatality rates decreased. CONCLUSIONS: HIV infection and AIDS have been increasing among indigenous peoples, with distribution of the disease mainly in the Health Base Poles of the southern region of the state, where greater economic and social vulnerability are also observed. The endemic character of HIV and AIDS can become epidemic in some years given the existence of cases in other villages in the state. Its occurrence among the Guarani and Kaiowá populations indicates the need for expanded diagnosis, access to treatment and prevention measures.

A distribuição da epidemia de aids no Brasil está associada a uma ampla gama de fatores que definem maior ou menor vulnerabilidade de grupos populacionais. O estudo teve como objetivo analisar as características clínicas e laboratoriais dos casos de infecção pelo HIV/aids em indivíduos com 13 anos de idade ou mais, e sua evolução para o óbito na população indígena assistida pelo Distrito Sanitário Especial Indígena de Mato Grosso do Sul. Realizou-se um estudo descritivo e retrospectivo sobre a condição clínica e evolução da doença entre 2001 e 2014, a partir de três bases de dados secundários. Foram avaliados o tempo de evolução para a aids, o tempo de evolução ao óbito, a carga viral, a contagem de linfócitos T-CD4+ e o tempo de sobrevida. Foram identificados 103 casos de infecção pelo HIV, dos quais 48,5% evoluíram para aids, sendo 60% em menos de um ano desde o diagnóstico. Foram registrados 40 óbitos, sendo 77,5% em decorrência da infecção pelo HIV. Desses que morreram, apenas 30% tiveram sobrevida maior do que um ano. Este estudo sugere que o diagnóstico da infecção pelo HIV se deu nas fases avançadas da doença, revelando-se tardio e apontando uma cobertura diagnóstica deficiente. A rápida evolução ao óbito e curto período de sobrevida também podem indicar fragilidade no acesso aos serviços de saúde de referência, assim como desarticulação e pactuações insuficientes entre Distrito, municípios e estado.