Oral health among Vietnamese using a community health centre in Richmond, Victoria

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of specific oral diseases in a Vietnamese background population living in Melbourne, Australia, and to compare these findings to existing oral health data.

One hundred and fifty-eight subjects of Vietnamese background, 18 and older, participated in the study.

Subjects were clinically examined, in a cross-sectional study, using standard World Health Organization criteria. The mean decayed, missing and filled surfaces scores were 27.8 (26.1). With the exception of one person, all subjects displayed clinical signs of gingivitis and 39 per cent had shallow pockets. Complex periodontal therapy was required by about 5 per cent of the sample. Comparing these findings to existing data on oral health in Melbourne, subjects in the study had lower DMFS scores, a higher number of untreated decayed surfaces and higher prevalence of gingivitis but less need for advanced periodontal treatment.

These findings, in terms of dental caries and periodontal disease, represent a more encouraging oral health situation than that previously described in this immigrant population. Inequalities within the present sample were not reflected in the overall caries experience but were reflected in the proportion of unmet restorative needs. Further research is needed to get a clearer picture of the factors that shape the oral health of migrant Vietnamese populations and expansion of this research into other migrant groups is also necessary.