Baseline assessment of oral health needs among underserved populations in the United States

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Introduction: There are numerous inequities in access to oral healthcare in the United States (US). Lower utilization of oral healthcare services, a higher burden of dental diseases, and poorer dental outcomes are more prevalent among US immigrants compared to US-born populations. Study Sample: A sizable population of people in Iowa are immigrants. These immigrants are from democratic republic of congo (DRC), Eritrea, Burma, Bhutan, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan. Iowa Refugee Assessment Report of 2018 shows that dental ailment is the second most prevalent condition among new entrant refugees. As a result, the Oral Health Programs targeted an oral health intervention at US immigrant populations. Objectives: This report aims to highlight significant findings from the baseline survey to further understand the needs for oral healthcare amongst immigrant and underserved populations in Iowa. This intervention utilized community peer educators to sensitize and mobilize immigrants to better access dental services. Training modules were developed for the volunteer peer educators and educational materials were translated into the native languages of the most populous refugees (French, Swahili, and Arabic). The Oral Health Program implemented a community health campaign, developing a questionnaire to capture demographic information, knowledge, awareness, barriers to uptake of dental check-ups/oral assessment,s and preferred sources of information. Preliminary findings indicated the need for increased awareness about oral health. Findings: There is a need to leverage existing social safety net programs to deliver oral health information and foster connections between dental service providers and their target populations. This study has shown the need for continued efforts towards increasing oral healthcare among underserved ethnic/minority and immigrant populations in Iowa. Future interventions need to focus on improving access and removing structural and social barriers to dental/oral care.