Iris Publishers Journal of Dentistry & Oral Health

  Authored by  Lilliam M Pinzon, Introduction A refugee is a person that “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country” [1]. Among refugees, one of the most common health problems reported by US organizations after initial screening is oral healthrelated [2]. Previous research reported high levels of untreated caries, periodontal disease, orofacial disease and disabilities among refugees [2-4]. It is well known that poor oral health care is often driven by a lack of literacy, low socio-economic status, lack of insurance, lack of transportation, inability to take time off from work or school, habits (smoking, drugs, etc.) and diet [5-7]. In addition to these challenges, refugees also face unique barriers to oral health...