Household food insecurity, dental caries and oral-health-related quality of life in Brazilian Indigenous adults

Abstract

Food insecurity is a complex phenomenon that affects the health and wellbeing of vulnerable families. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between household food insecurity, dental caries, oral health-related quality of life, and social determinants of health among Indigenous adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Kaingang adults aged 35-44 years old from the Guarita Indigenous Land, Brazil. Food insecurity was assessed through the EBIA scale. Dental caries was assessed using the DMFT index. Participants answered the OHIP-14 questionnaire and a structured interview. Descriptive and multivariate analyzes using Poisson regression models were performed. The final sample included 107 adults from 97 households. Approximately 95% lived in food insecure families. Severe food insecurity was present in 58% of the households. The phenomenon was associated to the Bolsa Família benefit, household size, and greater perception of oral health impacts on quality of life. The high number of families affected by food insecurity reveals the social vulnerability of the Kaingang people. Food insecurity in Kaingangs adults is associated to oral health perception and social determinants of health.

Food insecurity and dental caries prevalence in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…46 Low-income neighborhoods may also limit dietary choices of their food-insecure residents. 36,47 Higher dental caries in children belonging to the Black American and Mexican American ethnic groups has also been reported. 35,48 Household socioeconomic status, income/wealth, and dietary intake were, in descending order, the most significant predictors of dental caries in both children and adolescents.…”

“…Among other things, FI is related to low maternal educational level, which can, in turn, contribute to lower oral health literacy 46 . Low‐income neighborhoods may also limit dietary choices of their food‐insecure residents 36,47 . Higher dental caries in children belonging to the Black American and Mexican American ethnic groups has also been reported 35,48 .…”

“Com dor de dente, tudo é ruim nesta vida!”: saúde bucal na comunidade indígena de Tremembé, Ceará, Brasil

“…(#4) Essas falas refletiram que agricultura de subsistência dos Tremembés não é vista como um meio de produção, mas como uma possibilidade de se viver sem o constrangimento dos brancos 42 . Por outro lado, a insegurança alimentar, verificada na tendência do alto consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados, pode impactar no alto índice de cárie, conforme verificado em adultos Kaingang beneficiários do Bolsa Família, da Terra Indígena Guarita, no Rio Grande do Sul 44 , e em indígenas da etnia Xukuru de Ororubá, em Pernambuco 45 . Estudo nacional, realizado em 113 vilas indígenas distribuídas pelo país, demonstrou, na região norte, menor status socioeconômico, maiores taxas de sobrepeso em mulheres e desnutrição em crianças, com impacto na qualidade de saúde bucal 46 .…”

Escala brasileira de insegurança alimentar: proposta adaptada para povos e comunidades tradicionais

“…Estudos que avaliaram IA através da EBIA nessas comunidades no Brasil identificaram altas prevalências. Entre indígenas, observou-se que 95, 76 e 100% de indígenas Kaigang, 13 Teréna 14 e Guarani-Kaiowá 15 participantes das pesquisas, respectivamente, viviam em situação de IA.…”