Integrating Oral Health into Primary Health Care for Refugees: A Content Analysis of Health Strategies of International Refugee Health Organizations.

This study examines the integration of oral health into primary health care (PHC) within refugee health strategies of international organization for refugees and identifies opportunities to enhance oral health services by analyzing gaps and potential entry points into existing health strategies of major international organization for refugees. Seven organizations were identified through grey-literature web searches using the following eligibility criteria: the organization must (1) operate at global or multi-country level, (2) explicitly include refugees or other forcibly displaced populations in their mandate, and (3) have published at least one organization-level health strategy document in English. Organizations serving only a single region, religion, or narrowly defined sub-population were excluded to ensure comparability across international actors. The identification, screening, and inclusion of organizations—based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria—were documented in a modified PRISMA-style flow diagram to ensure transparency. Their relevant health frameworks, strategies, initiatives, or guidelines of the selected organizations were reviewed. After the final set of health strategies of these organizations was determined, a directed content analysis was conducted on their strategic documents using predefined criteria assessing references to PHC, oral health, refugee-specific content, workforce, and program implementation. Across the seven organizations identified, PHC for refugees was consistently highlighted as a strategic priority, yet oral health was almost entirely absent at the strategy level. Oral health appeared only in a small number of short-term, project-based or disease-specific initiatives led by three organizations and was not integrated into PHC benefit packages or long-term refugee health frameworks. Four strategic entry points were identified: (1) positioning oral health as a human right, (2) training the PHC workforce in basic oral health competencies, (3) mobilizing local resources and partnerships to ensure sustainable access to oral health services, and (4) prioritizing women’s and children’s oral health. Overall, oral health integration within refugee PHC frameworks remains limited, fragmented, and largely project-based, underscoring a missed opportunity to strengthen oral health within PHC. International organizations aiming to promote refugee health should strategically incorporate oral health into PHC services to advance health equity.