Sir, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by the end of the year 2017, 68.5 million individuals had been forcibly displaced worldwide.1 Refugees have limited access to both therapeutic dental care and preventive services. The Refugee Oral Health Promotion and Care Project was launched in 2018. Refugees remain vulnerable to acute food insecurity, malnutrition, and their inadequate food and nutrient intake after migration. This is regardless of the economic level of the host country.2 The common dietary risk factor for caries and other chronic diseases is the high and frequent consumption of fermentable carbohydrates (ultra-processed foods), which have high amounts of refined starches and free sugars.3The important effect of nutrition on teeth is the local action of diet in the mouth on the development of dental caries and enamel erosion.4Dentists can help in improving oral health of affected people.
References
FDI World Dental Federation. Refugee oral health promotion and care project. Available at: https://www.fdiworlddental.org/refugee-oral-health-promotion-and-care-project (accessed October 2022).
Khuri J, Wang Y, Holden K et al. Dietary intake and nutritional status among refugees in host countries: a systematic review. Adv Nutr 2022; 13: 1846-1865.
Amstutz D, Gonçalves D, Hudelson P, Stringhini S, Durieux-Paillard S, Rolet S. Nutritional status and obstacles to healthy eating among refugees in Geneva. J Immigr Minor Health 2020; 22: 1126-1134.
Moynihan P, Petersen P E. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of dental diseases. Public Health Nutr 2004; 7: 201-226.
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Math, S. Refugee oral health. Br Dent J 233, 587 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-022-5163-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-022-5163-0