Self-perceived oral health among adults in Northeastern Brazil

Wednesday, 20 August 2014
Exhibit hall (Dena'ina Center)
Edivania Vale, MS , Ministry of Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Recife, Brazil
Antonio Mendes, PhD , Ministry of Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Recife, Brazil
Rafael Moreira, PhD , Ministry of Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Recife, Brazil
INTRODUCTION:  The concept of quality of life is closely related to the perception that health can be understood as the interpretation of experiences and health status in the context of daily life. It is based on information and knowledge of health and disease, modified by experience, social and cultural norms of each individual. Thus, this study aimed to identify self-Perceived oral health and the variables associated with it among adults 35-44 years in Northeastern Brazil.

METHODS:  This study involved the primary data of the SBBrazil 2010 with 2.456 adults in the Northeast. The dependent variable was self-perceived oral health and the independent variables were grouped into four blocks arranged in demographic, predisposing / facilitation of oral health status and related to self-perceived need for treatment. The test of Rao and Scott was used to test the association between these variables and to test the effect of independent variables on the outcome, we used multinomial logistic regression model according to the hierarchical model proposed.

RESULTS:  It was observed that a positive self-perception of oral health was prevalent among the participants and the final model, the features directly associated with this perception were to be white (p=0.016), have a family income exceeding R$500.00 (p<0.001), owning goods number above median (p=0.050), have more sound teeth (p<0.001), not experience bleeding (p=0.004), not requiring prosthesis (p<0.001), not require treatment (p<0.001), have gone to the dentist for less than 3 years (p=0.001).

CONCLUSIONS:  The results show that self-perceived oral health of adults living in the Brazilian Northeast is directly associated with a multidimensional structure of factors and that the poor economic conditions associated with clinical conditions that disabled population impact heavily on their self-perception of oral health. Thus, public policies aimed at improving the public health of these individuals need to be strengthened and possibly redirected.