Digital Technologies for Oral Health Education Among Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons: A Scoping Review

Refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are among the most marginalised groups worldwide, with high levels of social, economic and health disparities. Oral health, though a vital component of health, remains underemphasised among the numerous health issues faced by these populations. Dental diseases such as dental caries, periodontal diseases, and oral infections are widespread among displaced people because of the lack of access to dental services, suboptimal nutrition, stress, and health service delivery disruption in host and transit countries. The use of digital technologies, such as mobile health (mHealth) apps, e-learning, teledentistry, social media, interactive multimedia, and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted products, has recently been advocated as a novel approach for addressing health education and service delivery issues. These technologies provide scalable, affordable delivery of oral health education in underserved and hard-to-reach communities, including those affected by conflict, persecution and natural disasters. While there has been increasing interest in using digital technologies for health promotion, to date there is no published evidence that synthesises the use of digital technologies for oral health education in refugees, asylum seekers and IDPs. This scoping review will provide an overview of the use of digital technologies to deliver oral health education to these populations. Through a comprehensive search and mapping of the literature, it will better understand the nature of digital technologies used, the target populations, contexts and outcomes. This will inform future research, policy and practice to enhance oral health knowledge and access to oral health services in these populations globally.