Descriptive study on oral health and pathologies in vulnerable migrant adolescents from North and West Africa
Open accessAbstract
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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Among African migrants in Europe, particularly adolescents, the prevalence of dental caries was 89.4%.
“Among African migrants in Europe, particularly adolescents, the prevalence of dental caries was 89.4%, highlighting the long-term impacts of poor access to oral care in early life (21).”
From Oral health in Africa: a neglected public health priority (2026) · cites this paper as [21]
The Results (Dental status) report dental caries in 89.4% of the study’s 104 patients, and Methods (Participants) identifies them as African migrant adolescents aged 13–17 treated at a clinic in the Canary Islands. The figure is not a prevalence estimate for African migrants across Europe. The Discussion links caries to several possible factors, including limited access to preventive care, but does not establish long-term effects of poor access in early life. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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“Among African migrants in Europe, particularly adolescents, the prevalence of dental caries was 89.4%, highlighting the long-term impacts of poor access to oral care in early life (21).”
Influential
- Authors
- Sirumal, E., Parra-Rojas, S., Cassol-Spanemberg, J., Contreras-Madrid, A. I., Pérez-Jorge, D., & Velázquez-Cayón, R. T.
- Affiliations
- Universidad Fernando Pessoa Canarias (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Velázquez-Cayón, Rocío Trinidad
- Venue
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2025-01-27
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 3429-3429
- ISSN
- 2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11772757
- OpenAlex
- W4406855847
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 3.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Dental Health and Care Utilization
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral Health Pathology and Treatment
- Keywords
- oral health, migrant adolescents, African immigrants, dental caries, leukoedema, malocclusion, Class I malocclusion, dental crowding, intraosseous lesions, Canary Islands, North Africa, West Africa, oral health policy, immigrant integration
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Africa, Northern, Africa, Western, Child, Dental Caries, Female, Humans, Male, Malocclusion, Oral Health, Spain, Transients and Migrants, Prevalence, Young Adult
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