Use and need of dental prosthesis among Brazilian Elderly – Results from a National Oral Health Survey
METHODS: A cross-sectional National study was carried out with elders aged 65 to 74 (n=7496) living in 177 towns of all five Brazilian regions. Use and need of prosthesis were used as the outcomes, which were determined according to the WHO index. The other explanatory variables included were Brazilian region, gender, skin color, familial income, schooling level, type of dental service used and the self-reported need of dental prosthesis. Descriptive, bivariate analyses and multivariate analysis using Poisson regression were performed.
RESULTS: The prevalence of use was 78.2% and the need was 68.7%, varying between regions. In the multivariate analysis, a higher use of prosthesis was observed in females [1.19 (95%CI1.10-1.29)], and in those with 5-7 years of study [1.11 (1.03-1.19)], and in those attending to private dental services [1.23 (1.10-1.38)] compared to public service. Lower use was observed in dark black skinned [0.83 (0.74-0.93)] compared to the white ones. The self-reported need of dental prosthesis was a protection factor in relation to the use of dental prosthesis [0.81 (0.76-0.87)]. In the multivariate analysis, a lower need of dental prosthesis was observed in females [0.92 (0.85-1.0] and in those accessing private dental services [0.87 (0.77-0.98)]. A higher need was found in those self-reporting dental prosthesis need [1.58 (1.39-1.79)].
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, high prevalence of dental prosthesis use and need were observed, influenced by regional disparities, socioeconomic and demographic variables, use of services and by the own patient opinion. There is a need to increment the oral public health policies in order to reduce the significant demand for dental prosthesis in elderly.