Oral Health Status among Migrants from Middle- and Low-Income Countries to Europe: A Systematic Review

Dorina Lauritano, Giulia Moreo, Francesco Carinci, Vincenzo Campanella, Fedora Della Vella and Massimo Petruzzi
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Dorina Lauritano: Department of Translational Medicine and for Romagna, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Giulia Moreo: Dental and Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy
Francesco Carinci: Department of Translational Medicine and for Romagna, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Vincenzo Campanella: Department of Clinical Science and Translational Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00113 Rome, Italy
Fedora Della Vella: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Massimo Petruzzi: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 22, 1-37

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.

Keywords: oral health; migrants; oral health inequalities; migration to Europe; socioeconomic status (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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