A Scoping Review of the Oral Health Status, Oral Health Behaviours and Interventions to Improve the Oral Health of Children and Young People in Care and Care Leavers

Joelle Booth; Jo Erwin; Lorna Burns; Nick Axford; Jane Horrell; Hannah Wheat; Robert Witton; Jill Shawe; Janine Doughty; Sarah Kaddour; Skye Boswell; Urshla Devalia; Abigail Nelder; Martha Paisi

doi:10.3390/dj12020038

A Scoping Review of the Oral Health Status, Oral Health Behaviours and Interventions to Improve the Oral Health of Children and Young People in Care and Care Leavers

Dent J (Basel). 2024 Feb 9;12(2):38. doi: 10.3390/dj12020038.

Authors

Joelle Booth^{1

2}, Jo Erwin², Lorna Burns², Nick Axford³, Jane Horrell³, Hannah Wheat³, Robert Witton², Jill Shawe⁴, Janine Doughty⁵, Sarah Kaddour⁶, Skye Boswell⁷, Urshla Devalia⁸, Abigail Nelder⁹, Martha Paisi^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Dental Public Health and Primary Care, Queen Mary University of London, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK.
² Peninsula Dental School, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.
³ Peninsula Medical School, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.
⁴ School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.
⁵ School of Dentistry, Royal Liverpool University Dental Hospital, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5PS, UK.
⁶ Pathway Oral Health Fellow, Pathway, 250 Euston Road, London NW1 2PG, UK.
⁷ Patient and Public Involvement Member, Plymouth County Council, Plymouth PL1 3BJ, UK.
⁸ Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals, University College London Hospitals, London NW1 2BU, UK.
⁹ Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise, Plymouth PL6 8BT, UK.

Abstract

Background: Children and young people (CYP) in care experience poorer physical health and overall wellbeing in comparison to their peers. Despite this, relatively little is known about what their oral health needs and behaviours are. The aim of this scoping review was to provide a global perspective on the oral health status and behaviours of CYP in care and care leavers. It also aimed to synthesise interventions that have been trialled in this population to improve oral health.

Methods: Five databases were searched, Ovid Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), SocINDEX (EBSCOhost) and Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source (EBSCOhost), alongside grey literature sources up to January 2023. Eligibility criteria were studies that (i) reported on children and adolescents aged 25 years or younger who are currently in formal/informal foster or residential care and care leavers, (ii) pertained to oral health profile, behaviours or oral health promotion interventions (iii) and were published in the English language. Thematic analysis was used to develop the domains for oral health behaviours and interventions.

Results: Seventy-one papers were included. Most papers were published from very high or medium Human Development Index countries. CYP in care were found to experience high levels of decay, dental trauma, periodontal disease and poorer oral health-related quality of life. Oral health behaviours included limited oral health self-care behaviours and a lack of oral health-based knowledge. The trialled interventions involved oral health education, supervised brushing and treatment or preventative dental care.

Conclusions: This scoping review reveals that CYP in care experience poorer oral health in comparison to their peers. They are also less likely to carry out oral health self-care behaviours. This review highlights a scarcity of interventions to improve the oral health of this population and a paucity of evidence surrounding the oral health needs of care leavers.

Keywords: children looked after; children’s oral health; foster; global oral health; oral health knowledge; oral health related quality of life; oral health status; orphans; unaccompanied refugee asylum minors; vulnerable children.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

No grant number/The Borrow Foundation