1. Oral Health Status among Migrants from Middle- and Low-Income Countries to Europe: A Systematic Review.
- Author
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Lauritano D, Moreo G, Carinci F, Campanella V, Della Vella F, and Petruzzi M
- Subjects
- Ethnicity, Europe epidemiology, Humans, Poverty, Oral Health, Transients and Migrants
- Abstract
Introduction: Economic inequality, political instability and globalization have contributed to the constant growth of the migration phenomenon in recent years. In particular, a total of 4.2 million people migrated to Europe during 2019 and most of them settled in Germany, France and Italy., Objectives: The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of studies analyzing the oral health condition among migrants from middle- and low-income countries to Europe and assessing the eventual association between their sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics and oral health status., Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Science Direct databases. After titles, abstracts and full-text examination, only 27 articles were selected on the basis of inclusion criteria and consequently included for quality assessments and data extraction., Results: Most of the studies reported a higher prevalence of caries experience, a poorer periodontal health and more difficulties in accessing dentalcare services among migrant groups compared with the non-migrant population. Inequalities were mostly associated with ethnic background, economic condition and social grade., Conclusion: Our review demonstrates the lack of dental health among migrants, underlining that their cultural beliefs and their social and economic living conditions could influence their oral health.
- Published
- 2021
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