The legal definition of homelessness is that a person has no home available and reasonable to occupy.1 The UK's population of 'rough sleepers' has risen by 169% since 2010.2 However, research suggests that these figures do not demonstrate the full scale of the problem owing to the 'hidden homeless'.2 A similar pattern can be seen in Leeds, where there has been a 367% increase in homelessness between 2010 and 2017.Homelessness is often associated with a chaotic, transient and unpredictable lifestyle, making it unsurprising that the experience has a multifactorial effect on both oral and general health. Ninety per cent of individuals experiencing homelessness reported dental issues after becoming homeless and sixty per cent of these experienced pain.4 It is widely acknowledged that this vulnerable population is exposed to an increased number of risk factors for oral disease, with one of the most influential being poor access to healthy foods and the necessity to consume cheap, convenient, high energy non-perishables.5 In addition, these individuals are more likely to experience an inability to frequently clean their mouths through lack of access to oral hygiene aids. Increased drug, alcohol and tobacco misuse and a generalised normalisation of poor dental appearance further contribute.
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