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The oral health of refugees: Issues and challenges arising from a case series analysis
Author(s) -
Salim Nesreen A.,
Maayta Wajd,
ElSa'aideh Batool B.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/cdoe.12528
Subject(s) - medicine , refugee , complaint , psychological intervention , oral health , population , syrian refugees , health care , family medicine , dentistry , environmental health , psychiatry , archaeology , political science , law , economics , history , economic growth
Objectives Little is known of the oral health of refugees globally. The objective of this study was to characterize the oral health and care‐seeking behaviours of refugees by investigating patterns of dental services provided to Syrian refugees in Jordan and their association with their oral health status. Methods Clinical records from 444 patients who had received dental treatment over a 9‐month period were retrieved and analysed. Collected data included gender, age and the type and number of treatment procedures provided for each patient. Results Of the total sample (51.8% female; 48.2% male; aged 18‐60 years), pain was the most common presenting complaint (73.0%), with poor aesthetics (17.1%) the second most common presenting complaint. About 63.3% of patients received only one procedure due to patients' lack of follow‐up. Over half (54.5%) of dental treatments carried out were extractions, 74.1% of which were due to dental caries; 27.4% were fillings. Endodontic treatment was the least provided procedure (18.2%). Conclusions The oral health status of Syrian refugees is a major concern, given the often‐deplorable living conditions in camps and limited, often inadequate access to oral healthcare services. This situation dramatically negatively affects a refugee's oral health. There is an urgent need to provide targeted dental services for this at‐risk population. Additional research is warranted on refugees worldwide, and on the provision of appropriate interventions to enable optimal oral health for this population.