Dental services provided to Syrian refugee children in Jordan: A retrospective study

Background Little is known about oral health care in Syrian refugee children in host countries. We describe the pattern and nature of oral healthcare service provided to Syrian refugee children in Jordan Method The clinical records of 3 to 7-year-old children who attended dental clinics at Zaatari refugee camp over a period of 8 months were retrieved and analyzed. Results Records of 259 children were analyzed. The mean age of the study sample was 5.6 years, and all included children were born in Zaatari refugee camp. Most children (66%; n = 171) presented because of dental pain and/or dental infection. Dental extraction was the most common procedure (55%), followed by dental fillings (25%), pulpotomy (10.6%), and stainless steel crown (9.2%). Most patients (75.3%; n = 195) received only one dental procedure during their stay in the camp, and no significant correlation between age and number of dental procedures was found. Conclusions Oral health care is not a priority in this population, and the available capacity for dental services is insufficient. Dental health programs should be implemented to improve refugee dental care.