ORAL HEALTH AND USE OF DENTAL SERVICES AMONG ASYLUM SEEKERS AND IMMIGRANTS

Abstract

Recently, the number of asylum seekers and immigrants arriving in Finland as well as other European countries has explosively grown. Tens of millions people have been obliged to leave their home countries because of conflict and persecution. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate self-reported oral health, oral health habits and use of dental health care services among asylum seekers and immigrants in Finland.

Methods: All asylum seekers living in the Ruukki refugee reception center and immigrants studying at the Oulu Adult Education Centre and PSK-Adult Education Centre were asked to participate in the interview study carried out in Northern Finland, 2012. Participation was voluntary and by participation the respondents gave their consent. The study comprised 38 participants (18 males and 20 females) from 15 different countries. Nine of the participants were asylum seekers and 29 immigrants, the youngest being 17 and the oldest 53 years old (mean 31.6, SD 9.3). Each interview took approximately 30 minutes. The reported data was analyzed with SPPS Statistics 20.0 (IBM, Illinois, USA) and the differences between the groups were tested using Pearsons chi-square and Fishers exact tests.

Results: The participants reported high need for dental treatment, most often among the highly educated (90%, n=9) and among those with no education at all (89%, n=8). The asylum seekers (78%, n=7) reported more pain and other symptoms in the mouth than the immigrants (31%, n=9), p=0.02. The asylum seekers (100%, n=9) were significantly more unsatisfied with both access to dental treatment (p=0.003) and the quality of treatment (p=0.001) in Finland when compared to the immigrants (18%, n=5). The immigrants were more aware of good oral health habits than the asylum seekers. Brushing teeth at least twice a day was significantly more common among the immigrants than among the asylum seekers both in their home countries (immigrants 62%, n=18/asylum seekers 11%, n=1; p=0.019) and in Finland (immigrants 79%, n=23/asylum seekers 22%, n=2; p=0.003).

Conclusion: Despite the small number of participants, our interview-based study indicates that asylum seekers and immigrants have need for acute and basic dental treatment and health education.