Oral Health Status among Refugees and Internally Displaced Children (3-11 Years Old) from Western Kordofan State, Sudan

Abstract

Background: Refugees and internally displaced children are often fed food with a low nutritional value or high in carbohydrates, predisposing them to a relatively higher risk of dental caries, and periodontal diseases. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the oral health status among a group of refugees and displaced children. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study among (172), 3–13-year-old children (59 boys (34.3%) and 113 girls (65.7%) from in Almoshama camp for displaced and refugees coming from different areas of Sudan and outside Sudan. The participants were selected by non-probability sampling technique based on convenient accessibility and availability of children from friendly child spaces in the camp. Dental caries was assessed by dmft for primary teeth and DMFT for permanent teeth, while periodontal status was assessed by community periodontal index (CPI). Comparison between different non-parametric data was done by Chi-Squire test and parametric data by student T-test, with the level of statistical significance difference set at P-value ≤ 0.05. Results: The prevalence of dental caries among the participants was 33.3%. The mean ±SD dmft score was 2.28±1.77 and the DMFT score was 1.63±1.51. A statistically significant difference in mean DMFT between different age groups (P=0.004) and between boys and girls (P-0.03). While the mean CPI was 0.73. Almost half of the participants had periodontal diseases (54.1%) of whom 37.2% had gingival problems, 14.5% calculus, and only 2.32% have pocket problems. Conclusions: High prevalence of untreated dental caries and periodontal diseases among Refugees and internally displaced children living in Almoshama camp in West Kordofan, Sudan. Emphasis on motivation in oral health promotion campaigns and provision of primary health care services among those vulnerable groups is paramount.