Socioeconomic Disparities and Oral Health Care in Italy: A Narrative Review of Access, Disadvantaged Populations, and Public Health Service Responses (2016-2026)

BACKGROUND: Poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage are associated with poorer oral health and lower dental service use. Italy provides universal medical coverage, yet publicly funded dental care remains limited. AIM: This narrative review synthesizes evidence on oral health status, access to dental care, and public health responses among disadvantaged populations in Italy (January 2016 to January 2026), situated within the wider international literature. METHODS: A structured search of five databases was conducted, supplemented by grey literature and a targeted Italian-focused PubMed search, and synthesized narratively. Seventeen studies met the eligibility criteria: eleven Italian primary studies and six international reviews. Because the reviews may share primary studies, their overlap was mapped and quantified (Corrected Covered Area). RESULTS: Poverty was repeatedly associated with poorer oral health and lower dental care use across migrants, homeless adults, refugee children, and low income families in several Italian cities and regions. Financial constraints were prominent barriers, while limited health literacy, language barriers, and cultural distance were consistently described particularly in the international comparative literature. Comparable barriers were reported among asylum seekers and refugees internationally, though overlap analysis showed this convergence partly reflects repeated citation across reviews. Community based initiatives in Rome and a regional service in Abruzzo appeared associated with reduced access barriers, though the designs limit causal interpretation.CONCLUSIONS: Oral health inequalities in Italy appear closely tied to socioeconomic disadvantage and structural limitations in dental provision. The evidence base, while growing, remains regionally uneven and methodologically heterogeneous, and progress likely depends on stronger surveillance, culturally responsive services, and closer attention to oral health within universal coverage.