The effect of homelessness on oral health and the oral cavity

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to shed light on how the state of homelessness impacts the health of the oral cavity. Research question: Does homelessness influence the general oral health of individuals who are homeless when compared to individuals who have a home?” Materials & Methods: Patients with a fixed address were recruited from a social media platform. Homeless individuals were recruited from YMCA Valetta. All individuals were asked to fil in a questionnaire after gaining consent (Appendix D). The questionnaire consisted of 28 closed ended structured questions that covered demographics, dental barriers, attendance patterns, oral health and any improvements related to dental services. The self-reported answers were subjected to statistical analysis using Chi-Squared and Mann Whitney U-Test, after normality testing by Shapiro Wilk. Results and Findings: 92 individuals were be recruited in total. 62 individuals had a fixed address (Group FA) whereas 29 individuals were in a state of homelessness (Group H). Group FA consisted of 25 males and 38 females with an average age 18-30 years (51.6%) and Group H consisted of 20 males and 9 females with an average age of 18-30 years (34.5%). There were significant differences between all variables (p0.05). Conclusion: There was a significant difference in oral health between the FA group and the H group. This means that homelessness does affect the oral health, hygiene, and the state of the individual. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. Recommendations and Implications for Practice: The recommendations and implications for practice would be to the clinician to clearly identify individuals who are at a risk of becoming homeless and to direct them to achieve a reasonable oral health since this could deteriorate significantly once a state of homelessness is achieved.