Oral health status and risk determinants in adult Syrian refugees in Jordan

Abstract

Objectives: Lack of data regarding the oral health of Syrian refugees represents a crucial gap in the literature. This study aimed to investigate the oral health status of Syrian refugees and related socio and behavioral factors. Basic Research Design: Cross-sectional study from June to September 2019 at Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan. Methods: An experienced, calibrated field investigator performed an oral clinical examination of 505 Syrian refugees (18-60 years) using the WHO criteria. DMFT, SiC, oral health indices and socio-demographic variables were recorded. Results: A total of 264 males and 241 females were included. The prevalence of caries was 96.0%, of which 76.0% had 4-17 carious lesions. The mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth was 5.76, 2.55 and 1.88 respectively. The mean DMFT score was 10.19 (100% had DMFT⟩0), SiC was 17.09, and the mean simplified Oral hygiene index score was 2.18. The most common chief complaint was pain (92.7%). Nearly half of the participants were smokers (45.7%). There was a negative association between level of education and oral health (P=0.011). Most participants did not brush their teeth regularly (87.5%). Females had better oral hygiene practices than males (P=0.015). Conclusions: Syrian refugees had a high prevalence of caries, high unmet dental treatment needs and poor oral hygiene practices. Preventive programs and focused interventions may reduce the burden of disease in this underprivileged population, on funding agencies and host countries as well.

Keywords

education oral health SIC Syrian Refugees Zaatari camp OHI-S

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abdulrahim

Jawad

(2018): Socioeconomic differences in smoking in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine: A cross-sectional analysis of national surveys. PLoS One 13, e0189829.

Barazanchi

Nabhani

Chen

Smith

Broadbent

(2018): Oral Health Care Needs Among Former Refugees of the War in Syria. New Zealand Dental Journal 114, 117-123.

Davidson

Skull

Calache

Murray

S.S.

Chalmers

(2006): Holes a plenty: oral health status a major issue for newly arrived refugees in Australia. Australian Dental Journal 51, 306-311.

Greene

J.C.

Vermillion

J.R.

(1964): The Simplified Oral Hygiene Index. Journal of the American Dental Association 68, 7-13.

Hoover

Vatanparast

Uswak

(2017): Risk Determinants of Dental Caries and Oral Hygiene Status in 3-15 Year-Old Recent Immigrant and Refugee Children in Saskatchewan, Canada: A Pilot Study. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 19, 1315-1321.

Jiang

Okoro

C.A.

Fuller

D.L.

(2013): Sociodemographic and health-related risk factors associated with tooth loss among adults in Rhode Island. Preventing Chronic Disease 10, E45.

Joury

(2019): Syria Profile of the Epidemiology and Management of Early Childhood Caries Before and During the Time of Crisis. Frontiers in Public Health 7, 271.

Kassel

J.D.

Stroud

L.R.

Paronis

C.A.

(2003): Smoking, stress, and negative affect: correlation, causation, and context across stages of smoking. Psychological Bulletin 129, 270-304.

Makan

Gara

Awwad

M.A.

Hassona

(2019): The oral health status of Syrian refugee children in Jordan: An exploratory study. Special Care in Dentistry 39, 306-309.

10.

Marthaler

Menghini

Steiner

(2005): Use of the Significant Caries Index in quantifying the changes in caries in Switzerland from 1964 to 2000. Community Dentistry Oral Epidemiology 33, 159-166.

11.

Melvin

C.S.

(2006): A collaborative community-based oral care program for school-age children. Clinical Nurse Specialist 20, 18-22.

12.

Miller

K.E.

Rasmussen

(2010): War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health in conflict and post-conflict settings: bridging the divide between trauma-focused and psychosocial frameworks. Social Science & Medicine 70, 7-16.

13.

Pourhoseingholi

M.A

Vahedi

Rahimzadeh

(2013): Sample size calculation in medical studies. Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench 6, 14-17.

14.

Reibel

(2003): Tobacco and oral diseases. Update on the evidence, with recommendations. Medical Principles and Practice 12 Suppl 1, 22-32.

15.

Riatto

S.G.

Montero

Perez

D.R.

Castano-Seiquer

Dib

(2018): Oral Health Status of Syrian Children in the Refugee Center of Melilla, Spain. International Journal of Dentistry 2018, 2637508.

16.

Salim

N.A.

ElSa’aideh

B.B.

Maayta

Hassona

(2020a): Dental services provided to Syrian refugee children in Jordan, a retrospective study. Special Care in Dentistry, 1-7.

17.

Salim

N.A.

Maayta

ElSa’aideh

B.B.

(2020b): The oral health of refugees: Issues and challenges arising from a case series analysis. Community Dentistry Oral Epidemiology 48, 195-200.

18.

Sheiham

(2005): Oral health, general health and quality of life. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 83, 644.

19.

Slopen

Kontos

E.Z.

Ryff

C.D.

Ayanian

J.Z.

Albert

M.A.

Williams

D.R.

(2013): Psychosocial stress and cigarette smoking persistence, cessation, and relapse over 9-10 years: a prospective study of middle-aged adults in the United States. Cancer Causes Control 24, 1849-1863.

20.

Solyman

Schmidt-Westhausen

A.M.

(2018): Oral health status among newly arrived refugees in Germany: a cross-sectional study. BMC Oral Health 18, 132.

21.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). UNHCR Jordan Factsheet [Internet]; 2018, February. Available from: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/53. Accessed 12 May 2020.

22.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). UNHCR Jordan Factsheet [Internet]; 2019, December. Available from: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/64690. Accessed 23 August 2020.

23.

World Health Organization, WHO . (2010). The Health of Migrants: The Way Forward. Report of a Global Consultation, Madrid, Spain, 3-5 March 2010: Geneva, Switzerland; Available online: http://www.who.int/hac/events/consultation_report_health_migrants_colour_web.pdf. Accessed on 15 August 2019.

24.

World Health Organization, WHO. (2013). Oral Health Surveys: Basic Methods, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 5th edition.

25.

World Health Organization, WHO. (2001). WHO Collaborating Centre. Faculty of Odontology, University of Malmö, Sweden. PDF Vers. 1.0; 2001-03-6. http://www.whocollab.od.mah.se/expl/siccalculation.xls.