Oral Health Status of Refugee Torture Survivors Seeking Care in the United States

Abstract

We assessed the oral health status of 216 refugee torture survivors seeking care at an urban torture treatment center in the United States. Results showed that patients' dental health ranged from poor to fair; 76% had untreated cavities, and approximately 90% required immediate or near-immediate dental care. Torture treatment centers, in addition to offering safe environments for educating and examining patients, are ideal settings to provide basic oral health services without the risk of retraumatization. (Am J

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

“…These observations show some differences from reports in the literature. This highlights the different dental needs of refugee populations from different cultural backgrounds, compared with the populations in the host countries 13 . In other studies in the literature, concerns about aesthetics were prioritised by patients over the functioning of the dentition, such as biting and chewing 42,43 .…”

“…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 .…”

“…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] .…”

Age determination in asylum seekers: physicians should not be implicated

“…While psychosocial assessment provides important indications of maturity, it is influenced by cultural/ethnic background and personnel experience of the individual. Poor socioeconomic status and being prematurely matured by their life experience is a common feature for refugees and others for whom age estimation is required [7,15,16].…”

Culture as an explanation in population health

“…This recurring concern is reflected in the Association of Schools of Public Health recent decision to make 'Diversity and Culture' one of seven cross-cutting competencies for training in public health programs (Calhoun et al 2008). The assumption (sometimes implicit) is that lack of cultural sensitivity, competence, or tailoring will impede the ability to change behaviors or health outcomes, either because of non-adherence, misunderstanding, intimidation (De Marco et al 2008;Singh et al 2008), exclusion or community disengagement (Cochran et al 2008). Statements about cultural tailoring were often strongly prescriptive.…”