Reducing social inequalities in the oral health of an adult population

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between social inequality indicators and oral health conditions in an adult population. This prospective cohort study assessed a probabilistic sampling of adults (aged 20-64 years) living in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Oral examinations were performed in 2011 and 2015, conducted at home, and used the decay-missing-filled (DMFT) index of permanent teeth, the Community Periodontal Index (CPI), and the visible biofilm criterion. A questionnaire was administered to determine demographic and socioeconomic aspects and dental services used, and collect oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) data. Social inequality indicators were evaluated according to social class (high, middle or low) and type of dental service used (public, health insurance or private), and compared with oral health conditions (visible biofilm, DMFT and incidence of tooth loss, periodontal pockets and bleeding, and OHRQoL), evaluated between 2011 and 2015. Analysis using chi-squared or Fisher tests (p < 0.05) and Cochran's Q test was conducted separately for each category analyzed between 2011 and 2015 (p < 0.05). A total of 143 adults who participated in an earlier study were examined after four years of follow-up. Although the occurrence of oral disease did not decrease over the study period (4 years), there was a reduction in inequality among lower social classes in regard to presence of tooth decay and oral health impact on self-perceived quality of life between 2011 and 2015 (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the Brazilian National Oral Health Policy has achieved its principles, especially that of greater equity.

Inequalities in the Oral Healthcare Sector: Trends in the 21st Century

“…Consequently, oral health inequalities are increasing in the world with time. Studies conducted in Brazil during 2011-2015 revealed an increasing trend in the prevalence of oral health problems in the country [24]. The oral health-related statistics from Canada and the United States of America have also shown an increasing trend of Oral-health inequalities.…”

Relationship between mother's oral health literacy level with oral hygiene behavior and self-reported oral health status in sociodemographic scope

“…Currently, oral health inequality occurs in various parts of the world, including Indonesia. 1,2 The poor condition of dental health in Indonesia is still being reported with a high prevalence of oral health problems. 2,3 Data from Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) 4 revealed the prevalence of dental caries at 88.8% with a DMF-T index of 7.1.…”

Prevalência de cárie em escolares de 5 e 12 anos no município de Palmas-TO

“…Embora seja evitável, a cárie ainda é considerada um importante problema de saúde pública, pois apesar da redução da carga da doença em crianças nas últimas décadas, a prevalência ainda é alta, sendo que em alguns países ultrapassa a 50% em crianças de 12 anos (Silva et al, 2019;Xiao et al, 2019;Freire et al, 2013;Splieth, et al, 2019). A doença afeta desproporcionalmente a população mais desfavorecida e cada vez mais o mundo se torna dividido e polarizado com grandes diferenças econômicas e sociais, as quais afetam diretamente a saúde da população (Watt et al, 2018).…”