Investigation of the barriers to access of Afghan immigrant children under 12 years of age to dental services living in Iran
Document Type : مقالههای پژوهشی
Authors
- Reza Emrani 1
- Ali Karimkhani 2
- Hossein Vafaei Anbardan 3
- Saba Zamani 4
- Ali Hosseini 5
- Mohammadreza Mokarram 6
1 Assistant professor, Department of Dental Public Health, School of Dentistry, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Qazvin University of Medical Science, Qazvin, Iran
3 Dentist, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
4 Dental Students’ Research Committee, Department of Pedodontics, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
5 Student Research Committee, School of Dentistry, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
6 Student Research Committee, Department of Operative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
Abstract
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-cross-sectional study conducted in 2023, an 11-question questionnaire, which had been standardized in previous studies, was used. Parents of Afghan children residing in four cities—Qazvin, Tehran, Varamin, and Karaj—were asked about the barriers to accessing dental services. The results were reported in descriptive statistics.
Results: A total of 458 participants took part in this study. According to the results, no Afghan child had access to supplementary insurance. Most participants reported financial difficulties in paying for dental services (409). The rate of voluntary check-ups was very low (18), and lack of insurance was identified as a major issue. Access to public sector services was not possible for 273 participants, but access to private sector services was available. Language and dialect issues in communication with individuals were reported to a minor extent (35), and 187 participants reported experiencing discriminatory behavior when receiving services.
Conclusion: Migrant children in Iran face barriers in accessing dental services, with the primary obstacles being financial problems, lack of insurance, and absence of legal residency.
Keywords
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