Unmet oral health needs and barriers to dental services among socially marginalized youth: a scoping review.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Barriers limiting access to oral health significantly impact dental service utilization among socially marginalized youth, often resulting in unmet needs and poor oral health outcomes. Identifying and understanding these barriers is critical to inform the development of strategies to enhance oral healthcare access for this vulnerable population. This review examines the barriers restricting access to oral healthcare and unmet dental needs among socially marginalized youth worldwide, offering insight to guide the development of targeted interventions.

Methods

A comprehensive search was performed across electronic databases, including Embase, MEDLINE (Ovid), Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. Two independent reviewers screened all primary studies, irrespective of pub

SUBMITTER: Vaishampayan P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11937129 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature