Asylum seekers and refugees’ access to oral health care services in Switzerland: a qualitative study

Abstract

Asylum seekers and refugees in Switzerland face major barriers to oral health care services, often limited to urgent treatments like tooth extractions. Access depends largely on legal status, canton of residence and duration in the country, whereby it is largely unclear for those affected as to which treatments are actually covered. Sixteen interviews and three in-clinic observations were conducted with Arabic-speaking asylum seekers and refugees in Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, two German-speaking Swiss cantons.

Keywords: Oral health, Asylum seekers, Refugees, Dental care, Healthcare access, Barriers