Access to dental care among refugees
Citation: Veginadu P, Gussy M, Calache H, et al. Factors associated with access to dental care among refugees: A systematic review of quantitative studies. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. 2023;51(5):729-37.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: La Trobe University.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for quantitative studies about access to dental care among refugees. They restricted their searches to articles published in English. The authors searched in February 2022 and found 9 studies. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42021282357.
What was found: Greater access to dental care among refugees was related to higher levels of education, health and dental literacy, acculturation, and, in Anglophone countries, English language proficiency. The type of service provided influenced the use of dental care services. Indirect costs, location, waiting times, and cultural awareness by the service contributed towards the choice of provider.
Implications: The authors of the review emphasised the necessity for future research to investigate contextual factors and to conduct longitudinal studies. Future studies should examine the relationship between various factors, refugees’ access to dental care, and equitable health outcomes.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of place of residence, race, ethnicity, culture, language, and education.
This summary was prepared by Joly Ghanawi, checked by Grace Meng, and finalized by William Summerskill.