Oral Health Assessment Of Internally Displaced People In Camps In Damascus And Its Suburbs: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background & Aim: This study aims to assess the oral health status and oral habits and quality of life of the displaced people residing in camps in Damascus and its suburbs.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study in which the sample size consisted of 385 adult patients permanently residing in the Hargla city camp. Where the participants underwent Arabic version of the oral health questionnaire of the World Health Organization, the questionnaire includes items for self-assessment of oral health, oral habits, recent visits to the dentist, and oral health related quality of life.

Results: From 385 individuals, the number of males was 128 and the females were 257. The age of the participants ranged between 16 and 87 years, with an average of 40.97 years, and the percentage of smokers was 35.5%. The study showed that 92.5% had experienced pain in the last year, 32.4% described the condition of their teeth between (bad and very bad) and 33% described the condition of their gums between (bad and very bad), 73% of the participants stated that the reason for their visit to the dentist was pain, 12.6% did not They never brush their teeth.

Conclusion: Within the limits of this study, it was found that there were unhealthy oral habits and poor oral hygiene among the displaced people in the Hargla camp, and poor oral health in general had a significant impact on the oral health related quality of life and daily life situations.