Oral health literacy, self-rated oral health, and oral health-related quality of life in Brazilian adults Bado FMR, De Checchi MHR, Cortellazzi KL, Ju X, Jamieson L, Mialhe FL. Oral health literacy, self-rated oral health, and oral health-related quality of life in Brazilian adults. Eur J Oral Sci 2020; 128: 218-225. © 2020 Eur J Oral SciThe aim of this study was to investigate associations between oral health literacy (OHL), self-rated oral health (SROH), and oral health-related quality of life (OHR-QoL) in Brazilian adults. A sample of 523 Brazilian adults completed the shortform Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) instruments that measure OHL and OHRQoL, respectively. The prevalence ratios (PRs) for outcome variables and their 95% CIs were quantified. Multivariable log-binomial regression models were applied, as the statistical models, to estimate bivariate and multivariable relationships of oral health outcomes with OHL, after adjusting for covariates. No significant association was found between poor SROH (as measured by single items) and OHL (PR = 1.28; 95% CI: 0.87-1.88); by contrast, significant associations were found between poor SROH and income (PR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.04-2.21), toothbrushing frequency (PR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.11-2.58), reason for dental visiting (PR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.03-2.13), and self-rated general health (PR = 3.44; 95% CI: 2.38-4.97). The OHL level (PR = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.21-2.56), educational level (PR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.41-0.93), reason for dental visiting (PR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.30-2.61), and self-rated general health (PR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.03-2.23) were associated with poor OHRQoL.

Objective To investigate the influence of oral health literacy (OHL) and associated factors on dissatisfaction with oral health (DOH) among older people. Background Oral health literacy is a recent field of research that has been considered an important mediator between socioeconomic variables and oral health outcomes. However, there are few studies with older people. Materials and methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted with 535 non‐institutionalised older people aged 60‐100 years from Brazil. Individuals completed a questionnaire on general health, sociodemographic information and usual reason for dental visit. OHL was assessed using the Health Literacy in Dentistry questionnaire (HeLD‐14), validated in Brazil. DOH was the outcome of interest. Poisson regression with robust standard errors was applied as a statistical model to estimate bivariate and multivariable relationships of DOH with OHL after adjusting for sex, age, social characteristics and general health using the P‐value of ≤ .05. Results The overall prevalence of DOH was 21.1%. Multivariable regression analysis showed that older people with low OHL (HeLD‐14 score ≤35) had 1.28 times the odds of having DOH than those with high OHL (HeLD14 score >46), after adjusting for sociodemographic, economic and health outcomes. Conclusions Dissatisfaction with oral health in older people is a complex issue associated with OHL, social and behavioural factors. Health services should give greater attention to developing health literacy competences in older adults in order to empower them to achieve optimal oral health.

This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of Brazilian-Portuguese versions of the Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD) scale in a sample of elderly Brazilian participants. HeLD was initially translated into and cross-culturally adapted to the Brazilian Portuguese language. The reliability and validity of HeLD were then assessed in a sample of 535 non-institutionalized older persons who also completed a questionnaire containing sociodemographic and health information. Data were then randomly separated into two sub-datasets, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed through structural equation modelling, with a maximum likelihood estimate to test the fit of the data to the factor structure of the long-and short-form HeLD (HeLD-29 and HeLD-14) versions of the instrument. The models were compared using the Akaike Information Criterion to assess goodness-of-fit and to determine which models were preferred. Internal consistency of HeLD was evaluated using Cronbach´s coefficient α. Both versions of HeLD were observed to demonstrate high internal reliability (Cronbach´s α ≥ 0.87 for all seven subscales), acceptable convergent (estimates of ≥ 0.50 for AVE and ≥ 0.70 for CR) and discriminant validity. However, the goodness-of-fit of the confirmatory factor analysis models demonstrated satisfactory results only for HeLD-14 subsamples (x2/df = 1.8-2.3; CFI = 0.97-0.98; GFI/NFI = 0.98-0.99; RMSEA = 0.05 and SRMR = 0.03). In conclusion, HeLD-14 was shown to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure oral health literacy in elderly Brazilian participants.

A COVID-19 atingiu o Amazonas, ampliando as vulnerabilidades que já existiam, principalmente nas cidades do interior. Considerando o importante papel que a Atenção Primária à Saúde – APS tem diante da atual pandemia, além do fato de que maior parte dos serviços de saúde nos municípios do interior do estado é ofertada pela APS, buscou-se descrever a experiência da reorganização da APS, com ênfase nas ações dos agentes comunitários (AC) de um município do interior do Amazonas. Coari está localizado na mesorregião Centro Amazonense, cujo acesso é por via fluvial e aérea, a 363 quilômetros da capital, Manaus. Até o dia 12 de setembro de 2020, o município ocupava a segunda posição no estado com maior número de casos (n=6.990); e terceiro em número de óbitos (n=105). Dispõe de 223 ACS, integrando 22 equipes da Estratégia Saúde da Família e três Núcleos Ampliados de Saúde da Família e Atenção Básica. Na pandemia, 35 ACS foram afastados por estarem nos grupos de risco. Destaca-se que os ACS da zona urbana e rural (incluindo as comunidades ribeirinhas) incorporaram ao seu rol de atividades ações de monitoramento dos casos confirmados e suspeitos, por meio de visitas domiciliares ou remotamente (por celular). Destacam-se os desafios advindos das barreiras geográficas e de sinal telefônico, características das moradias (alta densidade domiciliar), elevadas prevalências de outras doenças comuns na região, e deficiência de profissionais de nível superior nas unidades da zona rural/ribeirinha. Contudo, mesmo com os desafios, os ACS têm sido atores estratégicos para o enfrentamento da pandemia em Coari, atuando na organização do serviço e na continuidade do cuidado. Estratégias que fortaleçam a APS, colocando-a no centro das discussões, priorizando recursos para seu financiamento e reconhecendo o protagonismo dos ACS, são essenciais para o sucesso do enfrentamento à COVID-19 no país, principalmente nos municípios do interior.

Aims:To investigate the factors associated with poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a sample of Brazilian older adults. Methods and Results: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 535 noninstitutionalized elders aged 60 years or older from Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. OHRQoL was measured using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). Data on sociodemographic characteristics, self-perceived general health status, and health-related behaviors were obtained through a structured questionnaire. Data on chronic diseases were obtained from health records. Associations between exploratory factors and low OHRQoL (% GOHAI score <30) were evaluated using multivariate Poisson regression models to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) and confidence intervals. The mean OHRQoL score was 30 (± 4.4). In bivariate analysis, being not married, smoking, and selfrated "fair/poor" general health status were associated with lower OHRQoL. In the adjusted model, self-rated "fair/poor" general health (PR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.05-1.48), presence of chronic diseases (PR: 1.88; 95% CI: 1.37-2.58), smoking (PR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.02-1.53), and reason for last dental appointment (PR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.13-1.59) were associated with poor OHRQoL. Conclusion: Non-institutionalized older adults with a history of chronic diseases, who smoke, have a negative perception of their general health, and had the last dental appointment motivated by pain present significantly higher prevalence rates of poor OHRQoL. K E Y W O R D Sdental health surveys, geriatric dentistry, oral health, quality of life INTRODUCTIONIt is estimated that the number of people aged 60 years or older at a global level will exceed 2 billion by the year © 2021 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals LLC 2050, representing one fifth of the world population. By then, approximately 80% of the older population will live in developing countries. 1 In Brazil, a rapid demographic transition characterized by increasing life expectancy and