Seyed Ahmad Banihashem Rad, Marcella Esteves-Oliveira, Anastasia Maklennan, Gail V A Douglas, Paolo Castiglia, Guglielmo Campus
BACKGROUND: Inequalities in immigrants' oral health are often masked in population-level data. Therefore, this paper was planned to assess the prevalence data on oral health diseases, namely dental caries, and periodontitis, among immigrants worldwide.
METHODS: Following a systematic search in Scopus, Embase, and PubMed for studies published between 2011 and 2023, 1342 records were identified. Following title and abstract screening, 76 studies remained for full-text eligibility-screening based on predefined inclusion criteria. Thirty-two studies were included in the review.
RESULTS: Dental caries figures were higher in immigrant populations compared to the local population, regardless of host countries, age, gender, or nationality. In children, the overall mean and standard deviation (SD) for decayed, missing, and filled teeth in the primary dentition (dmft) was 3.63(2.47), and for DMFT (permanent dentition), it was 1.7(1.2). Upon comparing overall mean caries counts in children and adults with their control groups in the included studies, untreated dental caries (DT and dt) constituted the dominant share of caries experience (DMFT and dmft) in immigrant children. For the local population, the highest proportion of caries experience was attributed to filled teeth (FT and ft). Dentin caries prevalence among immigrants ranged from 22% to 88.7% in the primary dentition and 5.6% to 90.9% in the permanent dentition. Gingivitis ranged from 5.1% to 100%. Oral health varied greatly between studies. Regarding oral health accessibility, 52% to 88% of immigrant children had never been to a dentist, suggesting a very limited level of accessibility to dental health services.
CONCLUSION: It is imperative to develop interventions and policies that have been customized to address the oral health disparities experienced by immigrant populations. Additionally, host countries should actively implement measures aimed at enhancing the accessibility of oral health care services for these individuals. The utilization of available data is crucial in establishing a hierarchy of objectives aimed at enhancing the oral health of immigrant populations.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Scoping review protocol was registered at OSF Registries with registration number ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/MYXS4 ).
Community Dent Health. 2016 Jun;33(2):100-6
[PMID:
27352463]
J Can Dent Assoc. 2017 Jan;82:h9
[PMID:
29106352]
J Immigr Minor Health. 2017 Dec;19(6):1315-1321
[PMID:
27349936]
Int J Dent Hyg. 2020 Feb;18(1):84-91
[PMID:
31380599]
Lancet. 2019 Jul 20;394(10194):261-272
[PMID:
31327370]
Qual Health Res. 2012 Oct;22(10):1435-43
[PMID:
22829486]
J Dent Res. 2021 Jul;100(7):686-692
[PMID:
33541196]
Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. 2014 May 01;19(3):e289-94
[PMID:
24121926]
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 13;18(8):
[PMID:
33924511]
J Dent Res. 1988 Mar;67(3):592-6
[PMID:
3049719]
Eur J Oral Sci. 2022 Apr;130(2):e12843
[PMID:
34935215]
Ethn Health. 2018 Oct;23(7):703-717
[PMID:
28277023]
J Oral Rehabil. 2013 Sep;40(9):707-22
[PMID:
23855597]
Nutrients. 2019 Nov 29;11(12):
[PMID:
31795351]
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 08;19(8):
[PMID:
35457355]
Aust Dent J. 2017 Sep;62(3):258-260
[PMID:
28793371]
J Clin Diagn Res. 2016 Nov;10(11):ZC29-ZC33
[PMID:
28050499]
BMC Oral Health. 2015 Jul 22;15:82
[PMID:
26198542]
BMC Pediatr. 2017 May 26;17(1):132
[PMID:
28549451]
Medicina (Kaunas). 2019 Oct 07;55(10):
[PMID:
31591341]
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2007 Jun;35(3):170-8
[PMID:
17518963]
J Public Health Dent. 2003 Summer;63(3):166-73
[PMID:
12962470]
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2013 Feb;41(1):e41-52
[PMID:
24916677]
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Mar 22;16(6):
[PMID:
30909520]
Eur J Public Health. 2016 Dec;26(6):1006-1010
[PMID:
27540081]
J Public Health Dent. 2009 Spring;69(2):125-34
[PMID:
19192105]
J Dent Res. 2022 Apr;101(4):392-399
[PMID:
34852668]
BMC Public Health. 2020 Jan 28;20(1):111
[PMID:
31992248]
Int Dent J. 2016 Dec;66(6):350-355
[PMID:
27424563]
J Immigr Minor Health. 2019 Aug;21(4):699-705
[PMID:
30565201]
Int Dent J. 2019 Oct;69(5):354-360
[PMID:
30957875]
J Public Health Dent. 2022 Mar;82 Suppl 1:133-139
[PMID:
35726467]
BMC Oral Health. 2021 Jul 27;21(1):379
[PMID:
34315466]
J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2021;32(1):423-434
[PMID:
33678705]
J Dent Res. 2020 Apr;99(4):362-373
[PMID:
32122215]
Children (Basel). 2023 Jun 02;10(6):
[PMID:
37371232]
BMC Pediatr. 2022 Jul 23;22(1):443
[PMID:
35869462]
J Immigr Minor Health. 2011 Apr;13(2):202-13
[PMID:
21082253]
BMC Oral Health. 2021 Apr 28;21(1):215
[PMID:
33910535]
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Dec 21;19(1):
[PMID:
35010274]
Spec Care Dentist. 2016 Nov;36(6):328-334
[PMID:
27458173]
J Am Dent Assoc. 2018 Jun;149(6):414-421.e3
[PMID:
29615187]
Children (Basel). 2022 Sep 04;9(9):
[PMID:
36138663]
Evid Based Dent. 2009;10(1):22
[PMID:
19322227]
J Glob Health. 2023 Sep 15;13:04111
[PMID:
37712847]
Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2019 Mar;20(1):10-14
[PMID:
30919637]
Dent J (Basel). 2018 May 17;6(2):
[PMID:
29794969]
BMC Oral Health. 2016 Mar 05;16:28
[PMID:
26944936]
J Immigr Minor Health. 2015 Feb;17(1):132-8
[PMID:
24057752]
Can J Psychiatry. 2016 May;61(5):277-82
[PMID:
27254802]
J Oral Sci. 2011 Sep;53(3):307-12
[PMID:
21959657]
Int J Surg. 2021 Apr;88:105906
[PMID:
33789826]
J Public Health Dent. 2022 Sep;82(4):426-436
[PMID:
34672365]
Caries Res. 2014;48(6):575-83
[PMID:
25073858]
Ethn Health. 2015;20(3):241-57
[PMID:
24739019]
Aust Dent J. 2015 Jun;60(2):200-4
[PMID:
25989365]
