Abstract
The study was done to describe the dental caries experience and dental care utilization among Tibetan refugee-background children in Paonta Sahib, India. The study was conducted on 254 school children in a Tibetan settlement in Paonta Sahib. Examination was done as per World Health Organization Oral Health Assessment criteria (2013). Data on dental services utilization was obtained from the parents of children using a structured questionnaire. Oral examination of 254 school children aged 6–18 years revealed an overall dental caries prevalence of 79.5%. The dental caries experience was greater in the mixed dentition (84%) than secondary dentition (77.3%). The mean DMFT was associated with sex and dental visiting patterns. About 60% children had never visited a dentist before. The main reason for dental visit was tooth removal (43%). The prevalence of dental caries among Tibetan refugee-background school children was high and utilization of dental care was low. A comprehensive oral health program focusing on preventive care and oral health education is recommended.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Williams B, Cassar C, Siggers G, Taylor S. Medical and social issues of child refugees in Europe. Arch Dis Child. 2016;101(9):839–42. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2016-310657.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. World at war. Global trends. Forced displacement in 2014. Geneva: UNHCR; 2015.
Riggs E, Yelland J, Shankumar R, Kilpatrick N. ‘We are all scared for the baby’: promoting access to dental services for refugee background women during pregnancy. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16:12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-015-0787-6.
Riggs E, Rajan S, Casey S, Kilpatrick N. Refugee child oral health. Oral Dis. 2017;23(3):292–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.12530.
Riggs E, Gibbs L, Kilpatrick N, Gussy M, van Gemert C, Ali S, Waters E. Breaking down the barriers: a qualitative study to understand child oral health in refugee and migrant communities in Australia. Ethn Health. 2015;20(3):241–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2014.907391.
World Health Organization. Oral health surveys—basic methods. 5th ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013.
Robertson JA, Reade PC, Steidler NE, Spencer AJ. A dental survey of Tibetan children in Dharamshala. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1989;17(1):44–6.
Sivakumar V, Jain J, Haridas R, Paliayal S, Rodrigues S, Jose M. Oral health status of Tibetan and local school children: a comparative study. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016;10(11):ZC29-ZC33. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2016/22853.8887.
Havaldar KS, Bhat SS, Hegde SK. Oral health status of Tibetan and local school children of Kushalnagar, Mysore district, India: a comparative study. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2014;32(2):125–9. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-4388.130959.
Cote S, Geltman P, Nunn M, Lituri K, Henshaw M, Garcia RI. Dental caries of refugee children compared with US children. Pediatrics. 2004;114(6):e733–e740.
Locker D, Clarke M, Murray H. Oral health status of Canadian-born and immigrant adolescents in North York, Ontario. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1998;26:177–81.
Almerich-Silla JM, Montiel-Company JM, Ruiz-Miravet A. Caries and dental fluorosis in a western Saharan population of refugee children. Eur J Oral Sci. 2008;116(6):512–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0722.2008.00583.x.
Geltman PL, Radin M, Zhang Z, Cochran J, Meyers AF. Growth status and related medical conditions among refugee children in Massachusetts, 1995–1998. Am J Public Health. 2001;91(11):1800–5.
Quach A, Laemmle-Ruff IL, Polizzi T, Paxton GA. Gaps in smiles and services: a cross-sectional study of dental caries in refugee-background children. BMC Oral Health. 2015;15:10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6831-15-10.
Shailee F, Sogi GM, Sharma KR, Nidhi P. Dental caries prevalence and treatment needs among 12- and 15- Year old schoolchildren in Shimla city, Himachal Pradesh, India. Indian J Dent Res. 2012;23(5):579–84. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-9290.107330.
Kundu H, Patthi B, Singla A, Jankiram C, Jain S, Singh K. Dental caries scenario among 5, 12 and 15-year-old children in India—a retrospective analysis. J Clin Diagn Res 2015;9(7):ZE01–5. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2015/12439.6150.
Kandelman D, Arpin S, Baez RJ, Baehni PC, Petersen PE. Oral health care systems in developing and developed countries. Periodontol 2000. 2012;60(1):98–109. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0757.2011.00427.x.
Lamb CE, Whelan AK, Michaels C. Refugees and oral health: lessons learned from stories of Hazara refugees. Aust Health Rev. 2009;33(4):618–27.
Nicol P, Al-Hanbali A, King N, Slack-Smith L, Cherian S. Informing a culturally appropriate approach to oral health and dental care for pre-school refugee children: a community participatory study. BMC Oral Health. 2014;14:69. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6831-14-69.
Sheikh-Mohammed M, Macintyre CR, Wood NJ, Leask J, Isaacs D. Barriers to access to health care for newly resettled sub-Saharan refugees in Australia. Med J Aust. 2006;185(11–12):594–7.
Hjern A, Kocturk-Runefors T, Jeppson O, Tegelman R, Hojer B, Adlercreutz H. Health and nutrition in newly resettled refugee children from Chile and the Middle East. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1991;80(8–9):859–67.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bhatt, S., Gaur, A. Dental Caries Experience and Utilization of Oral Health Services Among Tibetan Refugee-Background Children in Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India. J Immigrant Minority Health 21, 461–465 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0769-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0769-7