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

Moe Kuroda; Meghan Lewis; Nidaa Aljabbarin; Nia S. Brown; Madison P. Searles; Sistu KC; Andrea V. Shaw; Christina D. Campagna

doi:10.5334/aogh.4739

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

Volume 91 (2025): Issue 1

By: Moe Kuroda, Meghan Lewis, Nidaa Aljabbarin, Nia S. Brown, Madison P. Searles, Sistu KC, Andrea V. Shaw and Christina D. Campagna

Open Access

|Nov 2025

Abstract

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.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4739 | Journal eISSN: 2214-9996

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Language: English

Submitted on: Mar 25, 2025

Accepted on: Oct 10, 2025

Published on: Nov 3, 2025

Published by: Ubiquity Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

Keywords:

oral health,

dental care access,

refugee health,

social determinants of health

© 2025 Moe Kuroda, Meghan Lewis, Nidaa Aljabbarin, Nia S. Brown, Madison P. Searles, Sistu KC, Andrea V. Shaw, Christina D. Campagna, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 91 (2025): Issue 1