| 1 |
Visschere L et al. (2016)6 |
The greatest need for treatment was observed in the older age group and the highest mean bacterial plaque was observed in the elderly with greater dependence on care. Oral health in the elderly in Belgium is poor. The need for restorative and prosthetic treatment is high, and oral hygiene levels are problematic. Age, residence, and care dependence seem to have some influence on oral health parameters. |
| 2 |
Watt RG et al. (2019)7 |
Action to improve access to and quality of dental care for vulnerable adults and to tackle oral health inequalities among vulnerable adults. The burden of oral diseases disproportionately affects vulnerable groups compared to the general population. Addressing these unfair, unfair and preventable inequalities in oral health requires coordinated strategic action at clinical and population levels. Collectively, the dental profession has a responsibility to provide appropriate, high-quality clinical care and to be an advocate for supportive policies to protect and promote good oral health. |
| 3 |
Velázquez-Cayón RT et al. (2022)8 |
Prevalence of dental caries is the main situation along with the lack of good oral habits and commitment to health and oral care. The group of people between 15 and 20 years of age in Morocco was considered to have a higher incidence of oral diseases (dental caries and periodontal diseases). They also had fundamental deficiencies related to dental care and hygiene habits, as well as those related to the quality and type of food. |
| 4 |
Macdonald ME et al. (2022)9 |
They proposed solutions for research and practice, including co-engagement and co-production with peoples who were vulnerable. In doing so, the paper advances the potential of oral public health to advance research and practice that involves complexity in our work with vulnerable populations. |
| 5 |
Fernández-Bonet J (2023)10 |
The Vasco Government gradually implemented the Children’s Dental Care Program (PADI) and the fluoridation of water for public consumption. These measures have managed to reduce the rates of childhood caries in the territory, until they are among the lowest in Europe. Before giving the green light to the possible fluorization situation, it is essential to accurately determine the carious condition of the most vulnerable population. To this end, rigorous prospective studies should be carried out, both in the adult and child populations, and compare the CAO and SiC indices of the city with and without access to the fluoridated water network. |
| 6 |
Wisner B (2016)11 |
Among the many readings of vulnerability, the economic policy/ecological policy perspective provides deep insight into the role of global capitalism and the resulting underdevelopment it supports. The many other approaches to vulnerability, the range of other frameworks, models, metrics, and tools discussed are useful, but they only inform palliative measures. They do not reveal the root causes of vulnerability and therefore cannot point to reforms and transformations that can change a system based on greed, conflict and the destruction of nature. A participatory approach to vulnerability will not change the world in the short term, but multitudinous struggles in this and other domains of daily life - health, food, energy, biodiversity, shelter, transport and more - can eventually coalesce into a critical mass of resistance to current underdevelopment and positive affirmation of concrete alternatives. |
| 7 |
Patel R et al. (2019)12 |
Two nursing homes were available for program delivery, which resulted in the training of 64% (n = 87) of the care team. The training program involved videos and resources and was delivered flexibly with the support of an oral health educator and a dental therapist. There was an improvement in self-reported knowledge and confidence after training; however, only 54% (n = 45) completed the post-training questionnaire. This study suggests that co-producing an oral care training package for nursing home staff is possible and welcome, but challenging in this complex and changing environment. More work is needed to explore the feasibility, sustainability, and impact of doing so. |
| 8 |
Mejía R et al. (2020)13 |
The population that benefited the most was the vulnerable. The most attended were: in terms of gender, female; age group, children between 3 and 8 years old and adults aged 36 years and over. The most commonly performed dental procedure in children was dental prophylaxis, and in adults, supragingival scaling. The application of the curriculum of the Dentistry course focused on health promotion and contextualized learning from its use for the development of the community makes it an entity with greater social commitment. The community that receives the benefits becomes an active body in the processes of oral health promotion. Vulnerable and displaced populations are receptive to the oral clinical treatments offered to them. |
| 9 |
Martignon S (2024)14 |
Approximately one-third of the children included in this study exhibited tooth surfaces affected by moderate/extensive caries, while 84% exhibited early caries. The estimate indicated an absolute difference of 12.4% in the prevalence of moderate/extensive carious lesions among children living in households with the lowest levels of education compared to the highest. These children were also 6.7 times more likely to exhibit early cavities compared to those living in households with higher levels of education. Significant socioeconomic inequalities in early childhood caries have been observed in these vulnerable populations, highlighting the importance of upstream and downstream interventions that raise awareness among stakeholders and improve community and individual practices to address this. |
| 10 |
Freeman R et al. (2020)5 |
While oral health continues to improve globally, an important consequence of this approach is that it exacerbates the social exclusion that many people are already experiencing due to the constellation of economic, political, cultural, and individual factors. In contrast, based on the theoretical literature on social exclusion, intersectionality, and otherness, we suggest that dentistry could act as an agent of social inclusion as a more responsive and comprehensive form of oral health care and service delivery. This article advances a theoretical framework for inclusive oral health and an action plan to show how inclusive oral health can become a solution in the arsenal to address the global phenomena of inequalities in oral health, and inclusive is supported by theories of social exclusion, intersectionality, and otherness. We proposed an inclusive oral health framework for all those interested in helping people marginalized by social exclusion. We believe that it is by providing theoretical framework to situate a compelling policy agenda, along with an action plan for new service systems based on research evidence, that the core principles of inclusive oral health can ensure that dentistry will become an agent to address the global phenomena of extreme oral health and the social inequalities that follow social exclusion. |
| 11 |
FDI World Dental Federation (2020)3 |
Unfortunately, the enormous technological and scientific advances that have recently progressed to address many dental conditions are not uniformly available to all populations and the underserved and vulnerable face persistent and systemic barriers to accessing oral health care. These barriers are numerous and complex and include, among others, social, cultural, economic, structural and geographical factors. This policy statement presents vision for access to adequate oral health care for underserved and vulnerable populations throughout the human life cycle. FDI recognizes the distinct and varied needs of underserved and vulnerable populations from different countries and the vast differences in their health systems. However, this statement encourages oral health advocates and dental professionals to take action on behalf of underserved and vulnerable populations and to take the necessary steps to improve access to oral health care, reduce oral health inequality, address oral health illiteracy, promote the concept of Universal Health Coverage, and improve oral health. |
| 12 |
Katz AS et al. (2019)1 |
In our experience, researchers often use the word “vulnerable” strategically to attract resources, political interest, and public concern. At the same time, we propose that the vagueness associated with terms such as “vulnerable” masks the structural nature of public health problems. This vagueness can serve the political function of obscuring power relations and limiting the discussion of transformational change. |
Oral health in vulnerable populations: challenges, strategies and evidence from the literature
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