Oral health is one of the most neglected aspects of refugee health. The study aimed to systematically review evidence on prevalence of dental caries and dental care services provided to refugees in Europe. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, Cochrane, WHOLIS, Web of Science, Medline Ovid, and Google Scholar identifying studies on dental caries among refugees in Europe after the 2015 refugee crisis. From 3160 records, fourteen studies were included in the analysis. Eight studies on oral health showed caries prevalence of between 50% and 100%, while it ranged from 3% to 65% in six general health studies. Caries prevalence was proportional to age and inversely associated with education, whereas gender and country of origin showed no significant association. Nowhere is oral health part of general health assessment on arrival and is complaint based. Primary focus on resettlement, language, cultural, and economic barriers emerged as explanatory models for limited access. Our study identified a high prevalence of caries and limited access to dental health services as main challenges. Integrating oral health check-ups may contribute in shifting towards preventive oral care. Further research is urgently needed to better understand the dental needs of refugees in Europe.
Background Oral health is one of the most neglected aspects of refugee health. Conflict, violence, loss and unfamiliarity faced by refugees and the reliance on the host country make it difficult to achieve good oral health. The aim of the study was to systematically review the evidence on the prevalence of dental caries among refugees and to evaluate the provided dental care services in the European region. Methods Following the PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, Cochrane, WHOLIS, Web of Science, Medline Ovid, and Google Scholar identifying studies on dental caries among refugees in Europe focusing on articles published after 2015 till September 2019. The words caries, decay, DMF, and dental health, refugee and asylum seeker were used. Results We obtained 3004 records and included 11 studies in the analysis. The 6 studies primarily focusing on oral health showed a prevalence of caries between 55.8% and 100%, while it ranged from 3% to 65% in the remaining 5 studies investigating the general health of refugees. Caries prevalence was proportional to age and inversely associated with education, whereas gender and country of origin showed no significant association. Oral health is nowhere part of the general health assessment done on arrival and is mainly complain based. Treatment is available at an emergency basis and in equivalence as that of local populations only after the acceptance of refugee status. Lack of orientation, primary focus on resettlement, lack of uniformity, language, cultural and economic barriers emerged as explanatory models for the limited access to oral health care. Conclusions Our study identified a high prevalence of caries and limited access to dental health services as the main challenges. The necessity of oral health check-ups will help to shift from curative to preventive oral health care. Further research is urgently needed to better understand the dental health needs of refugees in Europe. Key messages Necessity of oral health check-up irrespective of need will help make shift from curative to preventive oral health care. Further research is urgently needed to better understand dental health needs of refugees in Europe.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.