Access to dental services and oral health-related quality of life in the context of primary health care

The results suggest that the salivary levels of mutans streptococci increase following bariatric surgery in morbidly obese patients.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of use of dental services in Brazil according to states and the Federal District and its relationship with socioeconomic variables and types of services, based on the 2019 National Health Survey. Methods: This is a cross-sectional population-based study using data from the 2019 National Health Survey, which included 88,531 participants aged 18 or older. We assessed variables related to the use of dental health services according to sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics through multivariate analysis, using a Poisson regression model with robust variance. Results: The use of dental services in the year prior to the interview was higher among adults (53.2%, confidence interval — 95%CI 52.5–53.9) than older adults (34.3%, 95%CI 33.2–34.4). The multivariate analysis revealed that the use of dental services was greater in people with better schooling (prevalence ratio — PR=2.02, 95%CI 1.87–2.18) and higher income (PR=1.54, 95%CI 1.45–1.64). States from the Southeast, Midwest, and South regions presented the highest percentages of individuals who visited a dentist in the previous year — between 49.0 and 57.6% of the population. Conclusion: Inequalities were found in the use of dental health services among the adult and older adult population, with regional differences; the use was higher among women, younger individuals, those with better schooling, higher income, healthier behaviors, better self-perceived oral health status, and who paid for their last dental treatment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphate (P i ) and fluoride (F) in carious dentin and in different layers of sound dentin. The samples examined were 52 permanent teeth (26 sound and 26 carious), which were subjected to two experiments to assess the mineral content of: 1) two layers (internal and external) of sound dentin and 2) sound and carious dentin. Ca and P i were analyzed using a colorimetric method with arsenazo III (C22H18As2N4O14S2) and molybdate reagents, and F was analyzed using a specific electrode. A non-parametric test, the MannWhitney test, was used to verify differences between groups. Sound dentin showed a higher concentration of fluoride in the internal layer than in the external layer (P = 0.03), but no inter-layer differences in Ca or P i concentration were evident. Lower concentrations of Ca, P i and F were observed in carious dentin than in sound dentin (P < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that the internal layer of sound dentin has a higher fluoride content than the external layer, and that carious dentin has lower concentrations of Ca, P i and F than sound dentin. (J Oral Sci 55, 133-137, 2013)