Impact of oral care intervention on quality of life of patients with oral cancer undergoing radiotherapy in Sri Lanka: A quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy is used to treat oral cancer, yet it negatively affects patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The aim was to evaluate the impact of an oral healthcare intervention on HRQOL of patients with oral cancer who receive radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. METHODS: An oral healthcare intervention was provided to 41 patients with oral cancer before radiotherapy (fluoride varnish application, scaling, permanent restorations, adjustment of sharp teeth, and extraction of teeth with questionable prognosis, oral hygiene instructions), during, and 3 months after radiotherapy (baking soda mouthwash, artificial saliva spray). EORTC QLQ-H&N35 was used to compare the HRQOL of the intervention and control groups, with the latter having received routine oral healthcare. RESULTS: The intervention group showed lesser values for HRQOL domains and items indicating fewer side effects during the last week of radiotherapy and 3 months after, compared to the control group. Most of the changes in HRQOL were significantly less in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The oral healthcare intervention effectively reduced the effect of radiotherapy and positively impacted on HRQOL of patients with oral cancer.

Class 3 Obesity and Oral Health in Adults: A Scoping Review of the Challenges for Oral Healthcare Services.

Background: Obesity is one of the most neglected public health problems affecting both developed and developing countries. The most clinically severe obesity (Class 3 obesity) has both clinical and service delivery implications on dental services. However, associations between Class 3 obesity and oral health are minimally explored in the literature and thus poorly understood. Aims: This scoping review aimed to explore the existing evidence on Class 3 obesity and oral health. Methods: A literature search was performed via Medline, Scopus, Google scholar and Embase research databases. Results: A total of 375 papers were sourced from the database search. Twenty seven full-text papers were included in the final literature review. Results revealed findings from both quantitative and qualitative studies. Papers included results pertaining to associations with dental disease, oral health and associated behaviours, oral health-related quality of life and the barriers experienced by adults with Class 3 obesity in accessing dental services. Conclusions: While mixed findings were identified, this scoping review reports associations between Class 3 obesity and poor oral health across various domains including clinical parameters and oral health related quality of life. The literature has also highlighted important barriers to dental care in those with the most severe Class 3 obesity. Based upon our findings, we have summarised current oral health management implications and directions for future research.

Necessity and influencing factors for integrating oral health in cancer care for older people: a narrative review.

PURPOSE: The number of older people with poor oral health diagnosed with cancer is increasing rapidly. However, integration of oral health in cancer care for older people to prevent or minimize oral health complications of cancer treatments is uncommon, except in head and neck oncology. The aim of this review is to describe the need, role of, and factors influencing the integration of oral health(care) into the treatment of older people with cancer. METHODS: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for papers published in the last 10 years that focus on oral health in older people diagnosed with cancer, the impact of oral health on cancer therapy, and integrated oral health in cancer treatment. RESULTS: From 523 related papers, 68 publications were included and summarized as follows: (1) oral complications associated with cancer therapies, (2) the need for oral healthcare in older people with cancer, (3) the role of integration of oral health in cancer care, and (4) influencing factors such as ageism, interprofessional education and collaborations, oral healthcare workforce, oral health literacy, and financial considerations. CONCLUSION: Integration of oral healthcare is highly recommended for the overall well-being of older people with cancer to prevent, minimize, and manage complications in cancer treatment. However, oral healthcare has not been integrated in cancer care yet, except for head and neck cancers. This review identified a notable gap in the literature, highlighting the need for research on integration of oral healthcare in geriatric oncology.

Reducing maternal and child oral health disparities in Sub-Saharan Africa through a community-based strategy.

Oral conditions disproportionately affect mothers and children in Sub-Saharan Africa, due to biological vulnerabilities, a scarcity of oral health workers, deficient preventive strategies, and gender-based barriers to care. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends integrating oral health into broader health delivery models, to reduce these disparities. We propose integrating preventive oral healthcare into community-based programs to bridge these gaps. We examine integrating preventive oral healthcare into Western Kenya's Chamas for Change (Chamas) community-based program which aims to reduce maternal and child health disparities. Chamas incorporates women's health and microfinance programs best practices to produce a low-cost, community-driven, sustainable, and culturally acceptable health delivery platform. Our strategy is based on the Maternal and Child Oral Health Framework and uses the WHO Basic Package of Oral Care principles. This framework prioritizes community involvement, cultural sensitivity, regular screenings, and seamless integration into general health sessions. We discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to enriching Chamas with oral health promotion activities. It is crucial to assess the effectiveness, sustainability, and acceptability of the proposed strategy through implementation and evaluation. Future studies should investigate the long-term impact of integrated oral health models on community health and oral health disparity reduction in Africa.

Exploring the Role of Practice Managers in Dutch Oral Healthcare Practices.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: The practice manager (PM) is a familiar position in Dutch oral healthcare. However, little is known about in which type of practice they work and what their responsibilities are. The aims of this study were to analyse the characteristics of oral healthcare practices that employ a PM and practices that do not, to determine responsibility for tasks described in the PM function description, and to assess to what extent the role of a PM varies between those with an oral healthcare and another background, and across practices with different characteristics. METHODS: At the end of 2022, a questionnaire with questions about the employment of a PM in the practice was presented to 991 randomly selected general dental practitioners. The questions about the tasks of the PM were based on the job description of the PM drawn up by the Royal Dutch Dental Association. Data were analysed using chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, linear regression, and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: A PM was employed in the practice of 56% of the general dental practitioners. In many cases, this PM was responsible for a large number of tasks within the sub-areas of care process, human resources, operational policy, and communication. Compared to independent practices, practices affiliated with a corporate dental company often employed a PM and the PMs had a relatively large amount of responsibility. CONCLUSION: PMs are now commonly found in Dutch oral healthcare practices, especially in ones that are affiliated with a corporate dental company. The tasks of PMs vary, suggesting an evolving professional profile.

Community-based early detection of oral precancerous lesion, accessibility and utilization of oral healthcare services among Irular tribes residing at union territory of Pondicherry.

Background: The present study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of oral carcinoma and precancerous lesion, oral healthcare seeking behaviour and identify accessible areas of tobacco cessation centres and oral healthcare facilities among Irular adult tribes residing in Pondicherry. Objectives: 1. To estimate the prevalence of oral carcinomas and precancerous lesion by using toluidine blue solution. 2. To determine their oral healthcare seeking behaviour in terms of utilizing oral healthcare facilities. 3. To identify accessible tobacco cessation centres and oral healthcare centres for prevention of oral cancer. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study is designed to identify oral carcinomas, oral health-care seeking behaviour among Irular tribes of Pondicherry. 1% toluidine blue solution prepared for detection of oral precancerous lesion. Data was collected using a questionnaire and clinical examination. The collected data was subjected to statistical analysis. Results: Out of 587 study population, oral mucosal lesion among the study population was 46 (7.8%) leukoplakia and 18 (3.1%) candidiasis. Positive health seeking behaviour 24 (41.7%) was observed. Conclusion: The study concluded that low prevalence of oral precancerous lesion and oral healthcare seeking behaviour is poor.

FMEA-based risk management improves the ability of oral healthcare personnel to prevent needlestick injuries.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application value of the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) method in the risk management of needlestick injuries among oral healthcare personnel. METHODS: A total of 37 healthcare workers from the dental department of Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, were selected as study subjects. Routine risk management procedures were followed from January 2021 to December 2021, serving as the control group, while FMEA-based risk management was implemented from January 2022 to December 2022, representing the research group. The Risk Priority Number (RPN) was calculated, and interventions were implemented for the top five identified failure modes. The RPN score, incidence of needlestick injuries, healthcare personnel's knowledge and awareness levels, prevention behavior, and rate of satisfaction with management were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: FMEA-based risk management identified weak knowledge of protection, disorganized placement of sharp instruments, failure to adhere to operational standards, improper operational procedures, and insufficient regulations for preventing needlestick injuries as the top five failure modes. The RPN scores for these modes were significantly lower in the research group (P<0.05). The research group also experienced a lower frequency and incidence of needlestick injury (P<0.05), along with higher levels of healthcare knowledge, awareness of prevention, and prevention behavior (P<0.05). Additionally, satisfaction with management was higher in the research group compared to the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: FMEA-based risk management can improve the ability of oral healthcare personnel to prevent needlestick injury, reduce the occurrence of such incidents, and enhance satisfaction with management. This approach holds promise for wider adoption.

Patterns, barriers, and utilization of oral healthcare provided at primary health centers (PHCs) and its association with oral health status among rural population in Rohtak district, Haryana: A household cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Access to oral healthcare is limited in rural areas, resulting in disparities in oral health services. Primary health centers (PHCs) are essential for providing integrated oral healthcare to rural populations. This study examines the patterns, barriers, and utilization of oral healthcare at PHCs in Rohtak district, Haryana. Materials and Methods: In this 6-month household cross-sectional study, data were collected from a sample of 600 participants residing in rural areas under the jurisdiction of three randomly selected PHCs in Rohtak district. The study employed multistage cluster systematic random sampling procedures. Data collection included structured questionnaires and clinical oral examinations following the type-III ADA classification. Participants' oral health status was evaluated using the WHO oral health assessment form for adults (2013). Descriptive and analytical statistics were used for data analysis. Results and Discussion: Dental caries and periodontal diseases were more common in older age groups. Barriers to oral healthcare among the elderly include fear of dental procedures and low dental literacy. Proximity to PHCs influenced dental service utilization, with higher rates among participants living near a PHC, that is, within 5 km of a PHC. Conclusion: Age, gender, proximity to PHCs, household size, and socioeconomic status play crucial roles in the utilization of oral health services among the rural population. Addressing these factors is essential for improving oral healthcare and overcoming barriers. It is crucial to enhance the accessibility, affordability, and availability of oral health services at PHCs to promote better oral health and overall well-being in rural areas.

Process evaluation of a pragmatic feasibility trial on smokeless tobacco cessation intervention delivered in dental hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Article 14 of the WHO 'Framework Convention on Tobacco Control' recommends, that all oral healthcare providers provide support for tobacco cessation, to all patients. Despite evidence on the effectiveness of tobacco cessation interventions in dental settings, implementation remains low in most high-burden countries like Pakistan. A pragmatic pilot trial of a dentist-delivered behavioural support intervention for smokeless tobacco (ST) cessation, was conducted in dental hospitals in Pakistan. This paper presents the findings of the process evaluation of the trial. METHODS: A mixed-method process evaluation of a multi-centre randomised control pilot trial of dentist-delivered behavioural support intervention ST cessation was conducted. The intervention included three sessions namely: pre-quit, quit and post-quit sessions. The process evaluation involved: semi-structured interviews with trial participants (n = 26, of which dental patients were n = 13 and participating dentists were n = 13 conducted from June-August 2022); and fidelity assessment of audio recordings of the intervention sessions (n = 29). The framework approach was used to thematically analyse the interview data. RESULTS: Overall the trial procedures were well accepted, however, young patients expressed uneasiness over revealing their ST use status. The intervention was received positively by dentists and patients. Dentists identified some challenges in delivering behavioural support to their patients. Of these, some were related to the contents of the intervention whereas, others were related to the logistics of delivering the intervention in a clinical setting (such as workload and space). Acceptability of the intervention resources was overall low amongst young patients as they did not take the intervention resources home due to fear of their family members finding out about their ST use. The intervention was successful in achieving the intended impact (in those who engaged with the intervention), i.e., change in the patients' ST use behaviour. Giving up ST with the aid of behavioural support also had an unintended negative effect i.e., the use of harmful substances (cannabis, cigarettes) to give up ST use. Patients' satisfaction with their dental treatment seemed to influence the intervention outcome. CONCLUSION: While there are many variables to consider, but for the participants of this study, behavioural support for abstinence delivered through dentists during routine dental care, appears to be an acceptable and practical approach in helping patients give up ST use, in a country like Pakistan, where negligible support is offered to ST users.

Health status, care dependency and oral care utilization among older adults: a register-based study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine oral care utilisation among older Danes and to describe the extent to which oral care use is associated with the co-existence of challenges relating to general health and care dependency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study used registry data covering the entire population of older adults (≥65 years) in seven municipalities in Denmark (N = 178 787 individuals). Oral care services utilisation was computed from administrative data on oral care contacts up to and including 2019, including both private oral care and a municipal oral care programme (MOCP). Various registry data sources were used to compute risk factors to describe oral care utilisation across indicators of general health and care dependency. RESULTS: Indicators for poorer health were associated with larger proportions of individuals enrolled in the MOCPs and larger proportions of non-users of any type of oral care. Higher degrees of care dependency were associated with larger proportions of individuals enrolled in MOCPs and individuals with no use of any oral care services, with the exception of nursing home residents, who comprised a lower proportion of non-users than individuals receiving at-home care. Municipal oral care mainly enrolled older adults who were nursing home residents (60% of nursing home residents were enrolled). CONCLUSION: Our findings support existing evidence on the link between oral care utilisation and general health and frailty. While the municipal care programmes assisted in covering oral care for those with the highest level of care dependency, future preventive strategies for ensuring care continuity for older adults that are increasing in frailty may want to focus on the earlier stages of frailty and of general health deterioration.

Development of interprofessional education programmes in nursing care and oral healthcare for dental and nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential for healthcare students to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams. This study aimed to identify the effect of IPE programmes in nursing care and oral healthcare on dental and nursing students' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. METHODS: The study included 101 third-year dental and 98 fourth-year nursing students. The participants were divided into mixed-professional groups of four (2 dental and 2 nursing students). They participated in nursing care and oral healthcare training programmes that included student-on-student training and discussion groups. Questionnaires regarding perceptions of interprofessional collaboration were distributed to the participants before and after the programmes to compare the programmes before and after and between the dental and nursing students. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test and chi-square test were used to compare the data. RESULTS: Data from 79 dental students (42 males and 37 females) and 89 nursing students (4 males and 85 females) who completed both questionnaires were used for the comparisons. Perceptions of the differences between the approaches of different health professionals to nursing care, the roles of other professionals, and the need for multiprofessional collaboration improved significantly among both dental and nursing students after the programmes. Although the perception of their ability to communicate with unfamiliar or new people improved significantly only among the nursing students, other perceptions of their ability to communicate did not improve for either group. More dental students than nursing students chose nursing trainings as good programmes to participate in with other professional students, while more nursing students than dental students chose oral care trainings as good programmes. Many students commented that they learned about nursing and oral healthcare skills as well as the importance of teamwork and communication with other professionals. Seven students commented that they were more motivated to become dentists and nurses. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that IPE programmes for nursing care and oral healthcare might be effective at helping students understand other professionals and promoting multiprofessional collaboration. However, further studies are needed to develop IPE programmes to improve attitudes and abilities related to interprofessional communication skills.

Artificial intelligence and smile design: An e-Delphi consensus statement of ethical challenges.

PURPOSE: Smile design software increasingly relies on artificial intelligence (AI). However, using AI for smile design raises numerous technical and ethical concerns. This study aimed to evaluate these ethical issues. METHODS: An international consortium of experts specialized in AI, dentistry, and smile design was engaged to emulate and assess the ethical challenges raised by the use of AI for smile design. An e-Delphi protocol was used to seek the agreement of the ITU-WHO group on well-established ethical principles regarding the use of AI (wellness, respect for autonomy, privacy protection, solidarity, governance, equity, diversity, expertise/prudence, accountability/responsibility, sustainability, and transparency). Each principle included examples of ethical challenges that users might encounter when using AI for smile design. RESULTS: On the first round of the e-Delphi exercise, participants agreed that seven items should be considered in smile design (diversity, transparency, wellness, privacy protection, prudence, law and governance, and sustainable development), but the remaining four items (equity, accountability and responsibility, solidarity, and respect of autonomy) were rejected and had to be reformulated. After a second round, participants agreed to all items that should be considered while using AI for smile design. CONCLUSIONS: AI development and deployment for smile design should abide by the ethical principles of wellness, respect for autonomy, privacy protection, solidarity, governance, equity, diversity, expertise/prudence, accountability/responsibility, sustainability, and transparency.

The phenomenological approach in dentistry - a narrative review.

PURPOSE: Phenomenology is a branch of philosophy that focuses on human lived experience. Illness including dental diseases can affect this living experience. Within the dental literature, there is very little reported on the use of phenomenology compared to other healthcare sciences. Hence, the aim was to review the literature and provide an overview of various applications of phenomenology in dental research. METHODS: This study was a narrative review using literature in the last 10 years identified by web-based search on PubMed and Scopus using keywords. A total of 33 articles that were closely related to the field and application in dentistry were included. The methodology, main results, and future research recommendations, if applicable, were extracted and reviewed. RESULTS: The authors in this study had identified several areas such as orofacial pain and pain control research, dental anxiety, dental education, oral healthcare perceptions and access, living with dental diseases and dental treatment experience in which the phenomenological method was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the topic. CONCLUSIONS: There are several advantages of using the phenomenological research method, such as the small sample size needed, the diverse and unique perspective that can be obtained and the ability to improve current understanding, especially from the first-person perspective.

Two-Year Trajectories of Dental Anxiety in Parents and Their Association with Parents' and Children's Oral Healthcare Procedures in FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study.

We aimed to identify parents' dental anxiety trajectories and the association of the trajectories with the number of parents' and their children's oral healthcare procedures in the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Dental anxiety was measured with the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale at gestational weeks (gw) 14 and 34, as well as 3 and 24 months (mo) after childbirth. Oral healthcare procedures from gw14 to 24 mo were obtained from the national patient data register and categorized as preventive and treatment. Trajectories were identified with latent growth mixture modelling for 2068 fathers and 3201 mothers. Associations between trajectories and procedures adjusted for education were analyzed using unordered multinomial logit models. Fathers' trajectories were stable low (80.1%), stable high (3.4%), stable moderate (11.0%), moderate increasing (3.9%) and high decreasing (1.6%). Mothers' trajectories were stable low (80.7%), stable high (11.2%), moderate increasing (5.3%) and high decreasing (2.8%). Mothers with decreasing dental anxiety had a higher number of preventive and treatment procedures. Fathers with decreasing dental anxiety had a higher number of preventive and treatment procedures, while fathers with increasing dental anxiety had fewer procedures. Children of mothers with stable low dental anxiety had higher number of preventive procedures. There seems to be a two-way association between dental anxiety trajectories and oral healthcare procedures.

Grey Wolf Optimizer with Behavior Considerations and Dimensional Learning in Three-Dimensional Tooth Model Reconstruction.

Three-dimensional registration with the affine transform is one of the most important steps in 3D reconstruction. In this paper, the modified grey wolf optimizer with behavior considerations and dimensional learning (BCDL-GWO) algorithm as a registration method is introduced. To refine the 3D registration result, we incorporate the iterative closet point (ICP). The BCDL-GWO with ICP method is implemented on the scanned commercial orthodontic tooth and regular tooth models. Since this is a registration from multi-views of optical images, the hierarchical structure is implemented. According to the results for both models, the proposed algorithm produces high-quality 3D visualization images with the smallest mean squared error of about 7.2186 and 7.3999 µm2, respectively. Our results are compared with the statistical randomization-based particle swarm optimization (SR-PSO). The results show that the BCDL-GWO with ICP is better than those from the SR-PSO. However, the computational complexities of both methods are similar.

Orthodontic Pain and Dietary Impact Considering Age Groups: A Comparative Study.

(1) Background: orthodontic treatment can frequently be associated with discomfort and pain, a significant factor contributing to treatment discontinuation. (2) Methods: This study, conducted on 160 orthodontic patients across different age groups, aimed to explore the influence of age on patients' responses to treatment, particularly regarding changes in dietary patterns and weight loss. The patients were categorized into three age groups and assessed through a questionnaire about pain perception, pain latency, dietary changes, and weight loss associated with orthodontic appliances. (3) Results: Younger patients (6-12 years) reported lower pain levels, shorter pain latency and fewer alterations in dietary habits compared to adults (over 18 years). Females over 18 represented a significant portion of the sample, suggesting a self-driven inclination towards orthodontic treatment for aesthetic reasons. Fixed orthodontic appliances induced more significant pain than removable ones. Adults experienced more changes in dietary habits and weight loss than younger individuals. (4) Conclusions: the results provide valuable insights for orthodontic practitioners aiming to mitigate adverse effects and improve overall patient experience during treatment.

The environmental consequences of oral healthcare provision by the dental team.

OBJECTIVES: To undertake a comparative ecological impact (Total lifetime carbon footprint and single use plastics (SUP) waste generation) derived from the provision of professional oral healthcare (Dentists and hygienist) to five different patient categories up to the age of 50 years, representative of different levels of progressive dental disease and treatment experience. METHOD: CO2e and SUP waste generated was calculated for five patient categories with common preventable diseases; that are representative of different levels of progressive dental disease and treatment experience. The assessment is based on the average restorative care levels for 50-year-olds in the UK. The number of appointments for each procedure was calculated using current evidence-based guidelines. The total lifetime carbon and the SUP waste analysis was calculated using published peer-reviewed data. RESULTS: The total carbon footprint follows a progression with low impacts for individual persons with very low disease and treatment experience (285 KgCO2e), escalating to very high impacts (approximately 2,170 KgCO2e) for people with high levels of disease and treatment experience. SUP waste follows a similar linear rise across the different cohorts of dental experience over a lifetime (6-50 years), from 1,382 items and 4.6 Kg for patients in a the very low dental experience, to 12,200 items and 33.8 Kg for patients in the cohort of very high dental experience. CONCLUSIONS: The provision of all oral healthcare carries an environmental impact in the form of carbon footprint and SUP waste. The cumulative lifetime environmental impact of oral healthcare is proportional to the disease and treatment experience of the individual person for these preventable diseases; with a x8 difference between the two extremes of experience. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: All forms of oral healthcare have an environmental impact. The most effective way to mitigate these impacts is through the promotion and provision of effective evidence-based preventive oral healthcare.

Microplastics in oral healthcare products (OHPs) and their environmental health risks and mitigation measures.

The environmental input of microplastics from personal care products has received significant attention; however, less focus has been paid to oral healthcare products. The present study assessed the occurrence of microplastics in commercially available oral healthcare products such as toothbrushes, toothpastes, toothpowder, mouthwash, dental floss, and mouth freshener spray that have a pan-India distribution. The extracted microplastics were quantified and characterised using a microscope and ATR-FTIR. All products showed microplastic contamination, where toothbrushes showed the maximum particles (30-120 particles/brush) and mouth freshener sprays (0.2-3.5 particles/ml) had the least abundance. Fragments, fibres, beads, and films were the various shapes of microplastics observed, where fragments (60%) were dominant. Various colours such as pink, green, blue, yellow, black, and colourless were observed, where colourless (40%) particles were dominant. Microplastics were categorized into three sizes: <0.1 mm (63%), 0.1-0.3 mm (35%), and >0.3 mm (2%). Four major types of polymers, such as polyethylene (52%), polyamide (30%), polyethylene terephthalate (15%), and polybutylene terephthalate (3%), were identified. Risk assessment studies such as Daily Microplastics Emission (DME), Annual Microplastics Exposure (AME), and Polymer Hazard Index (PHI) were carried out. The DME projection for India was the highest for mouthwash (74 billion particles/day) and the least for mouth freshener sprays (0.36 billion particles/day). The AME projection for an individual was the highest in toothbrushes (48,910 particles ind.-1 yr.-1) and the least in mouth freshener sprays (111 particles ind.-1 yr.-1). PHI shows that the identified polymers fall under the low-to high-risk categories. This study forecasts the community health risks linked to microplastics in oral healthcare products and suggests mitigation strategies. It has the potential to shape environmental policy development in response.

Oral Health Status, Behaviours and Oral Healthcare Utilization among Indian Migrants Compared to the Host Population in the Netherlands: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

The aim of this study was to assess the oral health status, oral health behaviours and oral healthcare utilization among Indian migrants living in the Netherlands and how they compare with the host population. Based on a random sample from Dutch municipalities, cross-sectional data were obtained for the Indian migrants living in the Netherlands (n = 148) and the host population (n = 244). A questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic, self-reported oral health status, oral health behaviours and oral healthcare utilization. The distribution of self-reported oral health variables for both groups were tabulated and compared using logistic, ordinal and multinomial regression analysis. When adjusted for covariates such as age, gender, marital status, education, income, occupation and dental insurance, regression analysis for oral health status showed that the odds of reporting oral impact on daily performances (OIDP) was 5.87 times higher for Indians compared to the host population (95%CI:3.45;9.65). In contrast, the odds of Indians reporting bleeding gums [OR = 0.44 (95%CI:0.27;0.73)] and diagnosed with gum diseases [OR = 0.23(95%CI:0.13;0.39)] were lower than the host population. Also, the odds of consuming alcohol and cakes or chocolates was significantly lower among Indian migrants compared to the host population [(OR = 0.15(95%CI:0.09;0.25)] and [OR = 0.33(95%CI:0.21;0.52)], respectively. But the odds of consuming sugar in hot beverages were significantly higher among Indians [OR = 10.44(95%CI:5.99;18.19)]. The odds of Indians visiting a dental professional were 9.22 times (95%CI:4.62;18.40) lower compared to the host population. We found that oral health status and behaviours among Indian migrants were different in certain aspects compared to the host population. However, their oral healthcare utilization remained overall lower. The underlying determinants for such observations merit further research. Migrant friendly approach from both the dental professionals and policy makers can encourage dental visits and improve the utilization patterns among Indians migrants in the future.