Oral Health Status, Oral Health Behaviours and Oral Health Care Utilisation Among Migrants Residing in Europe: A Systematic Review

Abstract

As the reported data on oral health status among the migrants in Europe is fragmented, we systematically reviewed the published literature on the oral health status, behaviours and care utilisation among migrants residing in Europe. For this, we retrieved publications from PubMed and EMBASE, supplemented by manual citation screening and grey literature search on Google scholars. Two independent reviewers screened the studies, extracted data and critically appraised the publications. A total of 69 studies included showed higher dental caries among migrant children. But some studies on adolescents and adults reported similar or even better oral health among migrants compared to the host population, while other reported the opposite. Poor oral health behaviours were generally reported among the migrants and they frequently made use of emergency service utilisation compared to the host population. We shed light on the gaps in dental literature and make some recommendations for the future.

Dental Caries Prevalence and Experience (ICDAS II Criteria) of 5-, 12- and 15-Year-Old Children and Adolescents with an Immigrant Background in Greece, Compared with the Host Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Nevertheless, the evidence is less explicit for older immigrant adolescents, as discrepancies were observed regarding caries experience levels across different European countries. Some studies demonstrated dental health among certain immigrant sub-groups approximating or even being superior to that of native residents, in contrast to other reports in which adolescents with an immigrant background presented with an inferior dental status to their host peers [ 5 ].…”

“…As has been mentioned, the majority of ‘settled’ immigrants in Greece originate from Eastern European countries, most frequently from Albania. Epidemiological evidence from studies conducted in Western European countries suggests that, among adults, adolescents and children with an immigrant background, those with Eastern European origin present a higher dental caries prevalence [ 5 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Moreover, native Eastern European children and adolescents present with considerably higher caries levels compared with their Western European peers [ 11 ], an observation that is possibly associated with the privatisation and decentralisation of the oral healthcare delivery system in these territories during the last three decades, which has impeded the provision of dental care services in childhood populations, leading to detrimental effects on disease levels [ 28 ].…”

“…In Europe, documentation about the oral health level of populations with an immigrant background is scarce and sporadic. Evidence derived from studies conducted within Western European countries consistently suggested that caries prevalence is higher among immigrant children and early adolescents younger than 12 years of age compared with the respective native inhabitants [ 5 ]. Nevertheless, the evidence is less explicit for older immigrant adolescents, as discrepancies were observed regarding caries experience levels across different European countries.…”

Oral Health Status among Migrants from Middle- and Low-Income Countries to Europe: A Systematic Review

“…The risk of a poorer oral health among migrants compared to the host population has been demonstrated in the literature [15,16], even though information about this topic remains contradictory. Studies from Germany and Spain, included in the systematic review by Pabbla et al [17], reported higher dental caries experience (DMFT Index) in migrants adolescents compared to the host population, but, on the contrary, re-searchers performed in United Kingdom (UK), Denmark and Sweden showed a lower DMFT Index among non-native subjects compared to the native population. Al-merich-Silla et al demonstrated that immigration status and social class were significantly associated with higher caries level in immigrant children compared to Spanish children of the Valencia region [18].…”

Knowledge, Attitude, Action, Ability to Pay (ATP), and Willingness to Pay (WTP) Young Adults in Fulfilling the Need for Oral Hygiene Maintenance

“…Based on previous research, it was found that there was a significant relationship between the work of the head of the family and the DMFT index [9,10] . Work is related to the level of income or level of expenditure.…”