Assessment of DMFT and CPI indices in a sample of young refugees in the island of Lampedusa (Sicily, Italy)

Introduction: Dental epidemiology has indicated that immigrants and minority ethnic groups should be regarded as high risk populations on the verge of oral health deterioration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the caries experience in a group of young refugees from urban and rural areas of Africa, landed on the shores of the island of Lampedusa (Sicily, Italy) in November 2011. Methods: A randomly selected sample of 77 young men was examined. All subjects did not declare the age, but all of them presented a complete permanent dentition. Visits were carried out by examiners, calibrated by the WHO Collaborating Centre of Milan personnel. Dental examinations were performed using a mirror and a WHO periodontal probe under standardized conditions. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in caries experience between urban and rural subjects. Mean DMFT was 3.03 in subjects from urban areas and 0.92 in those from rural areas. The D component of the index was equally high in all subjects, indicating a high level of treatment need. Caries free subjects in the entire sample were 63.6%. All subjects from rural area showed a healthy periodontal status with CPI scores between 0 and 2, while 2.04% of people from urban area revealed the presence of periodontal pockets (CPI scores 3-4). Conclusion: Data from the present survey emphasized the need of dental care in the studied sample of refugees. The deterioration in the oral health status among this immigrant groups, emphasizes the need for health promotion and maintenance among immigrants and minority groups in changing societies. An acclimatizing and integrating model of oral health promotion among minority and immigrant groups is suggested