Process indicators of dental care delivery to homeless individuals in a specialized socially oriented clinic: a cross-sectional study

Cover Page


Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Access to dental care for homeless individuals remains a substantial healthcare system challenge, driven by a combination of social, organizational, and legal barriers. Given the limited engagement of this population in planned healthcare services, the analysis of process characteristics of dental care delivery in specialized, socially oriented settings is of particular importance.

AIM: This study aimed to characterize process indicators of dental care delivery to homeless individuals in a specialized, socially oriented dental clinic.

METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted based on the analysis of anonymized medical records from a specialized clinic for 2022–2025. Sociodemographic characteristics of patients, healthcare utilization indicators, the volume and structure of dental interventions, repeat visits, and patient encounters across different calendar years were analyzed. The analysis was descriptive and included calculation of absolute and relative indicators, as well as medians and interquartile ranges.

RESULTS: Data from 547 patients were included. The study population was socially heterogeneous in terms of living conditions and documentation status. Changes in the number of unique patients, total visits, and dental interventions were observed across years. The structure of care included diagnostic, surgical, therapeutic, and preventive interventions, with variations in their proportions over time. Repeat visits were recorded in a subset of patients, including visits spanning two or more calendar years.

CONCLUSION: The findings characterize organizational features of dental care delivery for homeless individuals in a specialized, socially oriented clinic and may inform planning and evaluation of similar care models for socially vulnerable populations. Study limitations include the retrospective design and data from a single clinic.

Full Text

Restricted Access

About the authors

Maksim E. Kozlov

South-Ural State Medical University

Author for correspondence.
Email: mdmaxk@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0009-0002-3135-3514
SPIN-code: 4503-5901

MD

Russian Federation, Chelyabinsk

Elena A. Bessonova

Ural Medical Institute

Email: dr.elena_bessonova@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6240-667X
SPIN-code: 8397-4939

MD

Russian Federation, Chelyabinsk

Valeria I. Simakhina

Chelyabinsk State University

Email: lekiyasima@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0009-0007-1661-6319
SPIN-code: 1822-2751
Russian Federation, Chelyabinsk

References

  1. World Health Organization. Action plan for oral health in South-East Asia 2022–2030: towards universal health coverage for oral health. New Delhi: World Health Organization; 2022. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789290210061
  2. Beaton L, Coles E, Freeman R. Homeless in Scotland: an oral health and psychosocial needs assessment. Dent J (Basel). 2018;6(4):67. doi: 10.3390/dj6040067
  3. Lione R, Ralli M, De Razza FC, et al. Oral health epidemiological investigation in an urban homeless population. Dent J (Basel). 2024;12(10):324. doi: 10.3390/dj12100324 EDN: AAZDVJ
  4. Potapchik EG. Accessibility of medical care in the Russian Federation: changes in its level from the point of view of various institutions. Russian Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. 2025;28(4):16–22. doi: 10.17116/profmed20252804116 EDN: KJWQAB
  5. Baybakova DA, Garinova KA. What is known about homelessness in Russia. Puti Rossii. 2024;2(4):215–257. EDN: LBRZYK
  6. Results of the study “Estimating the Number of Homeless People Based on Mortality Data”. Moscow: Validata; 2022. (In Russ.) Available at: https://homeless.ru/upload/iblock/394/Itogi_raboty_po_modeli_HELP_VALIDATA.pdf
  7. Sedykh OG. The role of non-profit organizations in solving the problem of homelessness. Baikal Research Journal. 2024;15(1):107–118. doi: 10.17150/2411-6262.2024.15(1).107-118 EDN: GQHZHZ
  8. Csikar J, Vinall-Collier K, Richemond JM, et al. Identifying the barriers and facilitators for homeless people to achieve good oral health. Community Dent Health. 2019;36(2):137–142. doi: 10.1922/CDH_4488Csikar06
  9. Figueiredo R, Dempster L, Quiñonez C, Hwang SW. Emergency department use for dental problems among homeless individuals: a population-based cohort study. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2016;27(2):860–868. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2016.0081
  10. Comassetto MO, Hugo FN, Neves M, Hilgert JB. Dental pain in homeless adults in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Int Dent J. 2021;71(3):206–213. doi: 10.1111/idj.12626 EDN: FZIQJN
  11. Lawder JAC, Matos MA, Souza JB, Freire MDCM. Impact of oral condition on the quality of life of homeless people. Rev Saude Publica. 2019;53:22. doi: 10.11606/S1518-8787.2019053000718
  12. Paiva KdeC, Lima LSDe, Leite ICG. Self-declared oral health conditions and oral health-related quality of life of the Brazilian homeless population: a cross-sectional study. Pesquisa brasileira em odontopediatria e clinica integrada. 2022;22:e220007. doi: 10.1590/pboci.2022.060 EDN: XMQVFI
  13. Bradley N, Heidari E, Andreasson S, Newton T. Models of dental care for people experiencing homelessness in the UK: a scoping review of the literature. Br Dent J. 2023;234(11):816–824. doi: 10.1038/s41415-023-5904-8 EDN: OAIOMW
  14. Paisi M, Witton R, Withers L, et al. Strategies to improve oral health behaviours and dental access for people experiencing homelessness: a qualitative study. Br Dent J. doi: 10.1038/s41415-020-1926-7 EDN: DTYXXF
  15. Avetisyan AK, Tsyganok RS. Current accessibility challenges to dental care. City-Healthcare. 2024;5(3):173–178. doi: 10.47619/2713-2617.zm.2024.v.5i3;173-178 EDN: SGAHEI
  16. Bordacheva AA, Gilmanova NS, Mikhailova MV. Assessment of the availability of dental care to citizens of the Russian Federation (sociological survey). Actual Problems in Dentistry. 2024;20(4):183–189. doi: 10.18481/2077-7566-2024-20-4-183-189 EDN: VMDOPM
  17. Kozlov ME, Tyukov YA, Nurieva NS. Organizational approaches to meeting the need for dental care for homeless people. The Dental Institute. 2024;(2):12–14. EDN: GIJZYU
  18. Kozlov ME, Komissarov EE, Nurieva NS. Analysis of demographic indicators and prevalence of dental diseases among homeless people in a large metropolis. The Dental Institute. 2025;(1):35–37. EDN: YEKAUS
  19. Cairns D, Rodriguez A. A stakeholder co-design approach to designing a dental service for adults experiencing homelessness. Front Oral Health. 2024;5:1355429. doi: 10.3389/froh.2024.1355429 EDN: CURSFY

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download
2. Fig. 1. Schematic description of the organizational route of a patient’s request for dental care in a specialized socially oriented clinic (the diagram is provided to explain the conditions for conducting the study and interpreting the process indicators).

Download (357KB)
Indexing metadata

Copyright (c) 2026 Eco-Vector

License URL: https://eco-vector.com/for_authors.php#07
СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: серия  ПИ № ФС 77 - 86296 от 11.12.2023 г. 
СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: серия ЭЛ № ФС 77 - 80632 от 15.03.2021 г.