Descriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from North and West Africa

Abstract This descriptive study focuses on the oral health of African migrants, especially adolescents, arriving in the Canary Islands. Notably, these patients show a high prevalence of caries and oral mucosal alterations. These are influenced by multifactorial factors, such as living conditions in...

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Main Authors: Elena Sirumal, Susell Parra-Rojas, Juliana Cassol-Spanemberg, Ana Isabel Contreras-Madrid, David Pérez-Jorge, Rocío Trinidad Velázquez-Cayón
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87972-y
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author Elena Sirumal
Susell Parra-Rojas
Juliana Cassol-Spanemberg
Ana Isabel Contreras-Madrid
David Pérez-Jorge
Rocío Trinidad Velázquez-Cayón
author_facet Elena Sirumal
Susell Parra-Rojas
Juliana Cassol-Spanemberg
Ana Isabel Contreras-Madrid
David Pérez-Jorge
Rocío Trinidad Velázquez-Cayón
author_sort Elena Sirumal
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This descriptive study focuses on the oral health of African migrants, especially adolescents, arriving in the Canary Islands. Notably, these patients show a high prevalence of caries and oral mucosal alterations. These are influenced by multifactorial factors, such as living conditions in their country of origin, hygiene habits, and sugar-rich diets. Furthermore, it is worth noting the need for inclusive oral health policies in receiving countries and the need to develop oral health care protocols in regions with migratory flows to effectively address oral health needs and facilitate the integration of migrants. We included 104 migrant patients from different African countries, mainly from North and West Africa, and analyzed their oral health status. We found that 89.4% of the patients had dental caries, with a higher prevalence in North Africa. Moreover, 25% of patients showed oral mucosal alterations, with leukoedema being the most common condition. Regarding malocclusions, 42.6% of patients had Class I malocclusion and only 15.4% had dental crowding. Regarding intraosseous lesions, 97.1% of the patients had no lesions and most did not require dental prostheses. This study provides a detailed overview of the oral health conditions of African migrants in the Canary Islands.
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spelling doaj-art-8f9849a871b44b0b962b3cf486bcd83e2025-02-02T12:23:10ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-87972-yDescriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from North and West AfricaElena Sirumal0Susell Parra-Rojas1Juliana Cassol-Spanemberg2Ana Isabel Contreras-Madrid3David Pérez-Jorge4Rocío Trinidad Velázquez-Cayón5Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Fernando Pessoa CanariasDepartment of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Fernando Pessoa CanariasDepartment of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Fernando Pessoa CanariasDepartment of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Fernando Pessoa CanariasDepartment of Didactics and Educational Research, Faculty of Education, Universidad de la LagunaDepartment of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Fernando Pessoa CanariasAbstract This descriptive study focuses on the oral health of African migrants, especially adolescents, arriving in the Canary Islands. Notably, these patients show a high prevalence of caries and oral mucosal alterations. These are influenced by multifactorial factors, such as living conditions in their country of origin, hygiene habits, and sugar-rich diets. Furthermore, it is worth noting the need for inclusive oral health policies in receiving countries and the need to develop oral health care protocols in regions with migratory flows to effectively address oral health needs and facilitate the integration of migrants. We included 104 migrant patients from different African countries, mainly from North and West Africa, and analyzed their oral health status. We found that 89.4% of the patients had dental caries, with a higher prevalence in North Africa. Moreover, 25% of patients showed oral mucosal alterations, with leukoedema being the most common condition. Regarding malocclusions, 42.6% of patients had Class I malocclusion and only 15.4% had dental crowding. Regarding intraosseous lesions, 97.1% of the patients had no lesions and most did not require dental prostheses. This study provides a detailed overview of the oral health conditions of African migrants in the Canary Islands.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87972-yOral healthAfricaEmigrants and immigrantsMigrationRefugeesVulnerable population
spellingShingle Elena Sirumal
Susell Parra-Rojas
Juliana Cassol-Spanemberg
Ana Isabel Contreras-Madrid
David Pérez-Jorge
Rocío Trinidad Velázquez-Cayón
Descriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from North and West Africa
Scientific Reports
Oral health
Africa
Emigrants and immigrants
Migration
Refugees
Vulnerable population
title Descriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from North and West Africa
title_full Descriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from North and West Africa
title_fullStr Descriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from North and West Africa
title_full_unstemmed Descriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from North and West Africa
title_short Descriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from North and West Africa
title_sort descriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from north and west africa
topic Oral health
Africa
Emigrants and immigrants
Migration
Refugees
Vulnerable population
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87972-y
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