Citation

Marzaleh MA, Ardakani MSZ. BMC Oral Health 2023; 23(1): e984.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s12903-023-03699-0

PMID

38066572

PMCID

PMC10709838

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Disasters can harm many people, especially children, in unpredictable and public ways. One of the neglected aspects of children's health in disasters is oral and dental hygiene, which can affect their physical and mental well-being. This systematic review explores how dentistry can help children in disasters, focusing on two aspects: providing oral health care and identifying disaster victims.

METHODS: A thorough search of databases, such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase, ProQuest, and Web of Science, was done to find English-language publications from 1930 to August 31, 2023. The screening, data collection, and quality assessment followed the PRISMA guidelines.

RESULTS: Out of 37,795 articles found in the databases, seven research articles were chosen. Five articles were retrospective, and two articles were prospective. The results showed that dentistry for children is very important in disasters by giving information about the oral and dental problems and identifying the victims. The results also showed some of the challenges and difficulties in giving dental care for children in disaster situations, such as changing control, referral systems, and parental fear of infection.

CONCLUSION: Dentistry for children can improve the health and well-being of children affected by disasters.

Language: en

Keywords

Children; Disasters; Health; Dental; Dentistry; Oral