Systems Approach to Understanding Oral Diseases

Factors underlying biological and socio-biological states include a complex interplay of several biological, behavioral, economic, and social factors. A reductionist view usually assesses the interplay of factors using a “drill-down” approach by examining smaller parts of a system under the paradigm that these parts, when fit-together, will translate to a fully functional whole. However, often such aggregative method does not work properly. The systems dynamics approach, developed by JW Forester in the mid 1950s (Forrester, 1985) and has been since used in business, engineering, and transportation. Its use to address problems in biology and health is recent. Models developed in this way can be limited by the available information, experience and expertise at hand from a group of persons who are involved in the process and therefore is a function of the insight of the group developing these models as well as the available data. abstract