Evaluations for Dental Care and Dental Prevention Systems for Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Objectives: Italy is facing great efforts in coping with a great deal of immigrants and asylum seekers. In Italy some basic healthcare services such as "urgent/essential outpatient and hospital care" and "essential minimum benefits" are granted also to temporarily undocumented people if they pay the full costs of treatment (which in some cases may be reduced or exempted in the case of manifest lack of economic resources). About dentistry, immediate treatment of dental emergencies (oral infections presenting as dental emergencies with pain and bleeding) for any patient in need are guaranteed.
At present, about 2800 asylum seekers are welcomed in the Province of Brescia
Thanks to an evaluation of the number of asylum seekers treated at the Dental Emergency Service of the Dental Clinic of the University of Brescia, the aim of the study is to evaluate the dental needs of the asylum seeker in order to better respond to the treatment needs according to national and regional rules.
Methods: During the last years, 14640 Patients in 2015, 14250 Patients in 2016 and 4193 Patients in 2017 (1.01.2017 – 19.04.2017) were visited or treated in Dental Emergency Service of the Dental Clinic.
Starting from the Dental Emergences Service database evaluation, the different types of treatments performed for these kind of patients were evaluated and divided by year. The incidence, which varies between 1.5% and 2% according the year, was also evaluated.
Results: Oral infections due to dental causes are the most frequent access reasons. It is to underline that multiple caries and multiple radicular residues are recognized in most patients.
Conclusions: Due to the increasing numbers of asylum seekers, it is believed that dental services in National Health System need to be strengthened and customized.