The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with caries experience in the primary dentition of one-to five-year-old children with cerebral palsy. A total of 266 dental records were examined, and caries experience was measured by dmft. The following variables were also analyzed: gender, oral hygiene, history of gastroesophageal reflux, use of medications for gastroesophageal reflux, gingival status, sugar intake and reports of polyuria, excessive thirst and xerostomia. For analysis purposes, the individuals were categorized as those with and without caries experience and subcategorized into the following age groups: one year; two to three years; and four to five years. After bivariate analysis, variables with a p-value < 0.25 were selected for incorporation into the Poisson regression models. Considering the limitations of the protocol, the level of oral hygiene perceived on the first appointment was the only factor associated with caries experience among two-to-fiveyear-old children with cerebral palsy.

Objective To provide a systematic review on the demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with edentulism among older persons. Background Edentulism (complete loss of the natural teeth) is one of the main problems affecting the oral health of the elderly individuals. Many unfavourable socioeconomic factors are considered important predictors of edentulism. Materials and methods This review was performed according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses (PRISMA). The search for published studies was conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, SciELO, Google and Google Scholar. Only observational epidemiological studies published in either English or Portuguese prior to June 2018 were included in our study. The bibliographic and methodological characteristics of the selected studies were evaluated. The Review Manager 5.3 software was used in the meta‐analysis. Results We identified 343 articles, 24 of which met all the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Unfavourable demographic and socioeconomic conditions were associated with the highest proportion of edentulous individuals. Age, level of education, and socioeconomic status were the main factors that were found to influence edentulism among elderly individuals. The meta‐analysis results showed a lower risk of edentulism in men (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.90‐0.96) and no significant differences in the risk of developing edentulism among different races/ethnicities or skin colours (OR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.45‐1.01). Conclusion Better socioeconomic conditions and male sex were identified as protective factors against edentulism among older individuals. Thus, public policies aimed at helping the most vulnerable populations must be implemented.

(OR = 3.020). Therefore, the services need to access the perceptions and expectations expressed by users, and provide information in appropriate quantity and quality, in the context of "health literacy" in order to achieve greater satisfaction among its users.

Background: Tooth loss represents a known marker of health inequality. The association between tooth loss and unfavorable socioeconomic conditions is evident when analyzed at an individual level. However, the effects of contextual characteristics on tooth loss need to be better investigated and understood. The objective of this study was to analyze tooth loss among Brazilian adults (35-44 years of age), in accordance with individual and contextual social characteristics. Methods: This was a multilevel cross-sectional study with data from 9564 adult participants from the Brazilian Oral Health Survey-SBBrasil 2010. The dependent variable was the number of lost teeth and the independent variables were grouped into structural (socioeconomic & political context) and intermediary (socioeconomic position, behavioral & biological factors, and health services) determinants. Multilevel Hierarchical Negative Binomial Regression was conducted and the Mean Ratio (MR) was estimated. Results: Brazilian adults lost a mean of 7.57 (95% CI 7.1-8.1) teeth. Among the contextual variables, the number of teeth lost was higher among residents of municipalities with high and medium/low Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI) and in municipalities that did not have public water fluoridation. Among the individual variables, dental loss was higher among those who declared themselves yellow/black/brown/indigenous, were older, who had lower income, who had never visited a dentist, who had used dental services for more than a year and those whose most recent visit to the dentist was due to oral health problems. On the other hand, dental loss was lower among adults with higher education levels and males. Conclusions: The number of missing teeth was associated with unfavorable contextual and individual conditions, which reinforces the need to reduce social inequality and guarantee regular, lifetime access to dental services.

Falta de acesso a informações sobre problemas bucais entre adultos: abordagem baseada no modelo teórico de alfabetização em saúdeLack of access to information on oral health problems among adults: an approach based on the theoretical model for literacy in health