Home › Buy online › Journals

Community Dental Health

Cover Date:

June 2019

Print ISSN:

0265 539X

Electronic ISSN:

2515-1746

Vol:

36

Issue:

2

A qualitative study on the oral health of humanitarian migrants in Canada

10.1922/CDH_4455Keboa06

Objectives: There is limited evidence to guide oral health policy and services for the 25,000 refugees and asylum seekers who arrive in
Canada yearly. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the pre-migration use of dental services, oral health knowledge,
and the effects of oral disease among newly arrived humanitarian migrants in order to inform policy and practice for the population.
Methods: Using focused ethnography and the public health model of the dental care process, we conducted face-to-face interviews (5060 minutes) with a purposive sample of humanitarian migrants who had indicated the need for dental care. We observed mobile dental
clinics that provided care to underserved communities in Montreal. Data were analyzed using a thematic and contextual approach that
combined inductive and deductive frameworks. Results: Participants included 25 humanitarian migrants from four global geographical
regions. Five major thematic categories were explored: problem-based dental consultation, self-assessed oral health status, causes of oral
diseases, personal oral hygiene, and good oral health for wellbeing. In their countries of origin, participants consulted a dentist when oral
symptoms persisted. They cited excessive sugar consumption and inadequate oral hygiene as causes of oral diseases, and reported significant oral diseases impacts that limited their daily functions and wellbeing once in Canada. Conclusions: Humanitarian migrants were
knowledgeable about causes of oral disease and the importance of good oral health, yet poor oral health continued to affect their lives in
Canada in important ways.

Keywords: Oral health knowledge, oral disease effects, humanitarian migrants, Canada

Article Price

£15.00

Institution Article Price

£

Page Start

95

Page End

100

Authors

Mark Keboa, Belinda Nicolau, Richard Hovey, Shahrokh Esfandiari, Franco Carnevale, Mary Ellen Macdonald

Articles from this issue

• Title
• Pg. Start
• Pg. End

1. Editorial - How soon is soon enough? The challenge of implementing behaviours conducive to good oral health in at-risk infants and toddlers
2. 89
3. 90

1. Patient and professional engagement in the procurement of dental services
2. 91
3. 94

1. A qualitative study on the oral health of humanitarian migrants in Canada
2. 95
3. 100

1. What influences use of dental services by the Korean disabled people? The role of perceived barriers in dental care system
2. 101
3. 105

1. In-school toothbrushing programs in Aboriginal communities in New South Wales, Australia: A thematic analysis of teachers’ perspectives
2. 106
3. 110

1. Relationship between Caregivers’ Oral Health Literacy and their Child’s Caries Experience
2. 111
3. 117

1. What evidence do economic evaluations in dental care provide? A scoping review
2. 118
3. 125

1. The Effectiveness of Reform in the Dental Health Systems of Transitional Countries: The Case of Montenegro Health Reform (pilot study)
2. 126
3. 130

1. Costs of dental care and its financial impacts on patients in a population with low availability of services
2. 131
3. 136

1. Identifying the barriers and facilitators for homeless people to achieve good oral health
2. 137
3. 142

1. Comparison of two measures to determine the oral health-related quality of life in elders with periodontal disease
2. 143
3. 149

1. Transnational corporations and oral health inequalities; an introduction
2. 151
3. 151

1. Political economy, trade relations and health inequalities: lessons from general health
2. 152
3. 156

1. Transnational corporations and oral health: examples from the sugar industry
2. 157
3. 162

1. The Transnational Tobacco Industry and Oral Health
2. 163
3. 168

1. Transnational corporations, oral health and human agency: a sociological perspective
2. 169
3. 174