Caries-related and Preventive Dental Care of 5-, 12-, and 15-year-old Syrians in Bursa, Türkiye

Abstract

Objectives: Türkiye has implemented an open-door policy for Syrians since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011 and has been providing medical and dental services for Syrian asylum seekers. Bursa, being the 5th largest city in the Western region of the Turkish Republic, hosts 1,83,355 registered Syrians. The present study was designed to analyze the caries-related dental services and preventive applications among 5-, 12-, and 15-year-old Syrian patients admitted to a state-affiliated dental hospital in Bursa, Türkiye. Design: This study comprises retrospective data analysis. Place and duration of study: The data from 1st January 2016 to 1st September 2021 were derived from the Bursa Oral and Dental Health Training and Research Hospital. Materials and methods: The dental records of Syrian patients aged 5, 12, and 15 years were reviewed for caries-related (restorations, extractions, and root canal treatments) and preventive applications (fissure sealants and topical fluoridation); others were excluded. Results: A total of 3,388 dental records of 1,179 Syrian children aged 5 (N = 369), 12 (N = 498), and 15 (N = 312) years were analyzed. The highest percentages of dental services offered to 5-, 12-, and 15-year-old were ”tooth extractions” (n = 369; 42.2%), ”fissure sealants” (n = 555; 33.7%), and ”restorative treatments” (n = 384; 44.4%), respectively (p < 0.001). Considering all years (2016–2021), male subjects [odds ratio (OR)—1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09–1.85; p = 0.01] and 12-year-old (OR—1.87, 95% CI 1.31–2.66; p = 0.001) were more likely to visit a dentist more than once per year. Conclusion: Caries-related dental services, which are an indicator of poor oral health, are common in 5-, 12-, and 15-year-old Syrian patients.