From Volume 42, Issue 10, December 2015 | Pages 965-971
Population movements, whether voluntary or forced, are an integral part of an increasingly globalized society and, while the health needs of migrant populations cannot be generalized, some migrants can have worse oral health outcomes compared with their host-country counterparts, with their first dental contact typically being for emergency care. Failure to provide immediately necessary treatment may be unlawful under the Human Rights Act 1998.
The volume of population movements, whether voluntary or forced, is an integral part of an increasingly globalized society. Migrant populations are composed of several overlapping groups, including long-term and short-term immigrants, migrant and seasonal workers, refugees, asylum seekers, international students and others – such as victims of human trafficking.
A large proportion of the migrant population tends to move through legal channels and their migration does not necessarily have negative health impacts, but some may experience difficulty in accessing appropriate healthcare. For other migrant population groups, the migration process itself may have negative health implications, in particular among the vulnerable migrant subgroups such as trafficked and smuggled people, asylum seekers, refugees and those with humanitarian protection and their families, children and undocumented migrants. Therefore, the health needs of the migrant populations cannot be generalized but the importance of culturally sensitive oral healthcare, that has been recognized for well over a decade, needs to be seriously considered in this context.1
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