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TL;DR
The central finding was a high prevalence of dental caries and poor access to dental care across the refugee population.
Journal of Global Health · 5 authors, 6 centres
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The central finding was a high prevalence of dental caries and poor access to dental care across the refugee population.
The authors extracted and synthesized data on dental caries prevalence, measured by the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index, and periodontal problems like gingivitis. The results indicated high burdens of dental caries and tooth loss due to caries across all refugee subgroups, with a high mean DMFT index in adults. Heterogeneity was high in reported prevalence rates. A significant finding was the very low level of accessibility to dental health services, with a large proportion of refugees having never visited a dentist. The discussion highlights that limited access, low utilization of preventive services, and high costs contribute to the poor oral status. Limitations include the heterogeneity of included studies, lack of a meta-analysis, and the exclusive inclusion of post-2011 publications, which may limit generalizability. The review concludes that these findings underscore an urgent need for host countries to implement policies to reduce oral health inequalities and improve access to care.