Oral Health Challenges in Refugees from the Middle East and Africa: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The aim was to explore and compare oral health and need for dental treatment in newly arrived refugees from the Middle East and Africa to Norway. Oral examination and structured interviews were performed with attending interpreters. Associations between origin and measures for oral health were studied with multiple linear regression. Half of the refugees (n = 132) reported oral impacts on daily performances (OIDP) and mean number of decayed teeth (DT) was 4.3 (SD 3.5). Refugees from the Middle East had more DT (1.38, p = 0.044), higher sum of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) (3.93, p = 0.001) and lower OIDP-score (- 3.72, p = 0.026) than refugees from Africa. Refugee oral health is generally poor, with more extensive challenges in refugees from the Middle East. However, few missing teeth, and manageable caries-gradient at the time of registration indicate that most refugees have the prerequisites for a good dentition, provided they get the necessary treatment.

Oral health-related quality of life among Syrian refugees in Jordan: a cross-sectional study

“…This was consistent with the study in Norway, for which only 5.3% reported the use of dental floss 14 . This was consistent with the study in Norway, for which only 5.3% reported the use of dental floss 14 .…”

“…Refugee populations suffer from poor oral health relative to that of the populations in their host countries [13][14][15] . Two of the main factors affecting oral health are oral hygiene practices and access to preventive/restorative dental care 24 .…”

“…Edentulous patients were excluded from the study because such patients generally suffer from significantly lower OHRQoL than patients who have a full dentition or are even who are partially edentulous 14 . All patients who were attending the camp dental clinics for treatment or check-up during the study period were eligible to participate.…”

“…Previous studies, which were mainly conducted in developed countries, demonstrated a higher burden of oral diseases and a negative perception of oral health among refugees compared with host residents [13][14][15][16][17] . Previous studies, which were mainly conducted in developed countries, demonstrated a higher burden of oral diseases and a negative perception of oral health among refugees compared with host residents [13][14][15][16][17] .…”

“…The effect of refuge on oral health has only been sparsely studied. Previous studies, which were mainly conducted in developed countries, demonstrated a higher burden of oral diseases and a negative perception of oral health among refugees compared with host residents [13][14][15][16][17] . In a Norwegian study of refugees from the Middle East and Africa, in which oral health and impact of oral health on daily living were explored, most of the refugees were found to have clinically detectable caries, and the majority perceived their oral health as poor and in need of treatment.…”