Abstract
BackgroundLittle is known about the oral disease burden in refugee children and associated risk factors. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the oral hygiene status and prevalence of caries, and to investigate their association with malocclusion characteristics in a child refugee population.Methods606 Syrian refugee children and adolescents aged 7–19 years, registered as refugees in Jordan and residing in Zaatari camp, were recruited to the study. Oral hygiene and caries status were recorded using DMFT (mean of decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth) and OHI-S (Simplified Oral Hygiene Index) according to WHO criteria. Oral health results were then cross tabulated with previously reported malocclusion traits for the same study sample (crowding, spacing, contact point deflection and IOTN) to detect any associations. Statistical analysis was conducted using chi-square test, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Welch test and Post Hoc testing (Gabriel and Games-Howell).ResultsOverall DMFT and OHI-S were 4.32 and 1.33 respectively with no difference between males and females. Around 40% of the sample showed ≥ 5 DMFT score. 96.1% of the sample either do not brush or brush occasionally: females showed better oral hygiene practices (P = 0.002). No significant differences in DMFT scores were noted for gender or age, other than the 7–9.9 year old group having significantly higher mean DMFT scores than all other age groups (P < 0.01);the mean of OHI-S was not significantly different between different age groups (P = 0.927). Subjects with malocclusion, specifically crowding, contact point deflection and IOTN grades 3, 4 and 5 had higher scores in both arches for OHI-S and DMFT than subjects without malocclusion traits, although this was not statistically significant for DMFT scores. Overall, patients with generalized spacing had a significantly lower OHI-S score than those without spacing (P = 0.021). Significant correlations were found between parameters of intra-arch and inter-arch relationships and oral health indices (DMFT and OHI-S).ConclusionMalocclusion may increase the risk of caries and periodontal disease; the magnitude of this risk is amplified in populations with poor oral health and limited access to oral healthcare services, highlighting the need for preventive and curative oral health programs.
Highlights
Little is known about the oral disease burden in refugee children and associated risk factors
The dental health component (DHC) of the Index of Orthodontic treatment Needs (IOTN) [5] aims to quantify treatment need based on the harmful effects of malocclusion: heterogeneous values of orthodontic treatment needs have been reported in different countries ranging from 71% in Jordanian school children to 93% in 11–14-year-old Italian children [6, 7]
Descriptive statistics of the sample 606 children/adolescents participated in the study. 96.2% of the sample was fit and healthy and the remaining suffered from chronic disorders such as asthma, epilepsy and allergy
Summary
Little is known about the oral disease burden in refugee children and associated risk factors This crosssectional study aimed to explore the oral hygiene status and prevalence of caries, and to investigate their association with malocclusion characteristics in a child refugee population. Malocclusion has been associated with psychosocial distress, discomfort, low quality of life, poor periodontal condition, and impaired masticatory function [1, 2]. This impacts quality of life and leads to increased demand for orthodontic treatment, especially for children and adolescents with this age group being susceptible to psychological trauma and influence on educational and social skills [3, 4]. Maintenance of good oral hygiene may be more important than the improvement provided by orthodontic treatment [10, 11]
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