Oral Health and Dental Care Access Among Refugees in Syracuse, NY

Background: Oral health and dental care access are disproportionately limited among newly resettled refugees in the United States (US). Objectives: This study aimed to describe self-reported oral health practices and dental care access among refugees in Syracuse, New York. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to September 2023 with 60 heads of household representing 313 family members from Afghanistan, Somalia, Congo, Syria, Burma, and Nepal. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. Findings: Half of the participants were women (51.8%), and 29.4% were aged 10-<20 years. Over half had lived in the US for less than 5 years (51.7%). Language, difficulty finding a dentist, and lack of insurance were key barriers to dental care. Only 24.0% had access to dental care in their home country, compared to 48.5% in the US. Significant associations were found between having a dentist in the US and the last visit to the dentist (p < 0.05), and between years in the US and dental care access (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study found that dental care access among refugees in Syracuse was limited, with disparities by country of origin and length of US residence. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve dental care access and health literacy among refugee populations in the US.