Oral Health of Roma Children and Adolescents in the Prefecture of Ilia, Greece: A Cross-sectional Study

Aim: Roma communities constitute a major ethnic minority in Europe and Greece.However, oral health of Roma children remains insufficiently studied.This cross-sectional study assessed the oral health of Roma children and adolescents in Ilia, Greece.Materials and methods: Ninety-four participants aged 1.5-16 years were clinically examined.Oral hygiene was evaluated using debris indexsimplified (DI-S), calculus index-simplified (CI-S), and gingival bleeding index (GBI), while caries experience was assessed using decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth (DMFT)/decayed, missing and filled primary teeth (dmft).Questionnaires collected information on oral hygiene, diet, and dental attendance.Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied, and predictors of DMFT/dmft were identified using multivariable regression with backward stepwise selection based on Akaike information criterion (AIC) (p < 0.05).Results: Caries increased with age (mean DMFT/dmft: 1.7-2.9).Gingival inflammation was low (mean GBI: 0.2), whereas plaque and calculus were moderate (mean DI-S: 1.4; CI-S: 0.8).Oral hygiene and dental attendance were inadequate: 50% did not brush daily, 52.1% had never visited a dentist, and 47.9% consumed sweets or soft drinks daily.In multivariable analysis, older age was significantly associated with higher DMFT/ dmft, and mouthwash use with lower caries experience.Conclusion: Roma children demonstrated suboptimal oral health and limited preventive behaviors, underscoring the need for public health interventions and access to dental care. Clinical significance:The study identifies significant unmet oral health needs among Roma children and highlights modifiable risk factors associated with caries.These findings support the implementation of targeted preventive strategies and improved access to dental care to reduce oral health inequalities in vulnerable populations.