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There is a substantial Panjabi community in the UK and its language is the second most common to be used in the country. As a result, it is critical that all practitioners concerned with oral health are aware of the dental practices of this community and of the increased risk of conditions such as head and neck cancer. This review assesses work published in the UK as well as in India and Pakistan. It emphasizes the need for a better understanding of cultural aspects of our care. Of course many aspects are not unique to this community but a better understanding will help with approaches to other communities. Social practices, such as paan use, can occur with greater frequencies amongst others, such as the Bangladeshi community. However, the purpose of this review is to concentrate attention on the largest minority community in the UK and, through this mechanism, to encourage interest in other groups. This interest should lead to practical approaches, such as: the development of relevant focus groups to improve clinical care; to develop outreach programmes to schools and community associations, including temples, gurdwaras and mosques; the production of appropriate literature and other media.
Clinical Relevance: This review should ensure that the reader is aware of attitudes towards dental care in the Panjabi community and of the increased frequency of a range of clinical conditions.
Article
The Panjabi community is the second largest in Britain with about 1.3 million members.1 Its language continues to be the most common one after English spoken by school children and in some homes is the language of choice.2 For many, access to healthcare is limited by both linguistic barriers and social deprivation.3 The impact of these factors on health was well summarized by Caroline Wright when she wrote for the BBC:
‘Although this is something often deemed controversial, poorer health outcomes, decreased comprehension of diagnoses and reduced satisfaction with care are all associated with limited English proficiency and cannot be ignored.4
The General Dental Council has expressed its views in Standards for Dental Professionals:
‘Promote equal opportunities for all patients. Do not discriminate against patients or groups of patients because of their sex, age, race, ethnic origin, nationality, special needs or disability, sexuality, health, lifestyle, beliefs or any other irrelevant consideration.’5
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