Oral Health Status of Syrian Children in the Refugee Center of Melilla, Spain

Abstract

Introduction Little is known about the state of oral health among immigrants from conflict zones, such as the refugee children from the Syrian Civil War. Aim To determine the oral health status of Syrian immigrant children refugee at the Center for Temporary Stay of Immigrants in Melilla to plan prevention and care programs. Design Using the criteria set by the World Health Organization, an exploration of the oral cavity of all Syrian children aged 5–13 living at that center was conducted in May 2015. All subjects were clinically evaluated by a calibrated and standardized examiner, accompanied by a dentist who registered the clinical variables, and translators. The sociodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed through a descriptive and analytical study, respectively. Results The prevalence of caries in both the permanent and deciduous dentition was 75% and 50% in 6- and 12-year-olds, respectively. The dft was 3.2 ± 2.9 in 6-year-old children. At 12 years old, the DMFT was 1.6 ± 2.6 teeth, the DMFM was 1.1 ± 1.7 teeth, the SiC was 3.2, and the IR was 5%. Eighty-six percent of the examined sextants were periodontally healthy. Conclusions The prevalence of caries was high in the sample population studied, confirming the need for a comprehensive primary oral health care program.

Dental Caries among Refugees in Europe: A Systematic Literature Review

“…From the final fourteen articles, only one was a qualitative study [ 20 ] while others were: ten cross-sectional [ 6 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], one cohort study [ 30 ] and two case reports [ 2 , 13 ]. All except two studies [ 13 , 28 ] had a comparison group.…”

“…All studies addressed information on oral or health status, four studies [ 6 , 13 , 29 , 30 ] focused on the healthcare needed, three studies [ 20 , 25 , 28 ] examined the treatment provided and two studies [ 13 , 30 ] examined necessary improvements. The study populations in three studies [ 24 , 25 , 29 ] were children, in five studies children and adults [ 22 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 30 ] and in four studies only adults [ 6 , 20 , 21 , 23 ]. All study samples consisted of more men than women.…”

“…Only eight studies [ 6 , 13 , 20 , 21 , 23 , 24 , 27 , 28 ] had oral health as the focus while others concentrated on oral checkups along with general health assessments. The prevalence of caries was higher in the oral health focused studies as shown in Table 3 .…”

“…Only one study [ 24 ] reported a low prevalence of caries, which was explained by the fact that children from wealthier families had better access to oral health services in the country of origin. From the above mentioned eight studies, only five studies [ 6 , 21 , 23 , 24 , 27 ] used the DMF index as a part of their analysis, while others recorded oral issues based on complaint. Four studies [ 6 , 21 , 23 , 27 ] out of the five reported a very high DMF severity.…”

An Overview of the Health Profile of Syrian Refugees Arriving in Kentucky from 2012-2017

“…While many studies show immigrant populations have higher incidences of dental disease compared to native populations, this has not been specifically documented for Syrian refugees in the United States [9,10]. A study by Riatto and colleagues focused on the oral health status of Syrian children in the refugee center in Melilla, Spain where the prevalence of caries in 6-12 year olds was 75% and 50% in permanent and deciduous dentition respectively [11]. Dashash and colleagues studied children in Damascus, Syria in 2012 prior to the increased turmoil and found a high proportion of 5-year-old Syrian children have dental caries [12].…”