Related Factors to the Use of Oral Health Services Amongst Population Aged 6 to 15 Years in Colombia

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The objective of this study was to analyze related factors to the use/no use of oral health services amongst children aged 6 to 15 in Colombia. Cross-sectional analysis with the information provided for the 2007 National Public Health Survey. Exposure variable: Use of oral health services. Health status variables: Self-rated health, oral health problems, oral pain, dental caries, gum bleeding. Explicative variables: Sex, age and ethnic origin. A descriptive study of the variables was carried out. Logistical regression was used to estimate the relationship between the category "never had an oral health visit" and each explicative and general and oral health status indicators, first crudely and after adjusting for other variables (Odds Ratio OR, 95% Confidence Intervals 95%CI). Analyses were conducted separately for men (M) and Women (W). The prevalence of use of health services is higher in people reporting not to belong to an ethnic group, those reporting dental problems, oral-dental pain, dental caries and gum bleeding (statistically significant differences p<0.05). After adjusting for control variables people aged 6 to 8 (W: OR 2.18 95%CI 1.87-2.53), those reporting to belong to an ethnic group (M: 3.01 95%CI 2.44-3.71; W: OR 3.59 95%CI 2.86-4.51) and those reporting poor self-rated health (W: OR 1.44 95%CI 1.25-1.66) were more likely to report "have never been to a dental visit". Inequalities in use of oral health services in Colombia amongst study population were found in younger children and those belonging to minority ethnic groups. These findings are linked to barriers to health services accessibility.KEY WORDS: oral health, dental health services, health services accessibility, health inequalities.

Utilización De Servicios De Salud Bucal Por Escolares Con Discapacidad Intelectual Del Distrito Capital, Colombia, 2015

“…Concerning the dental visits due to bleeding gums as one of the determinants for the use of oral health services, this finding differs from an analysis by Agudelo-Suárez et al 23 on the National Health Survey in Colombia, in which children aged 6 to 15 years belonging to minority groups report the highest use of oral health services due to periodontal diseases, most likely because of the condition of intellectual disability of the schoolchildren/teens in this study.…”

Higiene bucal, caries dental y necesidades de tratamiento en escolares de 5, 7 y 12 años, municipio de Istmina, Chocó, Colombia (2013) / Oral Hygiene, Dental Caries, and Treatment Needs...

“…En un estudio en adolescentes en el departamento del Valle (Colombia) se encontró la prevalencia más baja de caries en personas entre 12 y 13 años (65,6 %), pero notaron que los adolescentes el 76,1 % habían tenido experiencia de caries, lo que posiblemente indica la falta de acceso a los servicios de salud desde la infancia temprana en las diferentes regiones de Colombia (30). Esta situación se conrma con un estudio con datos poblacionales que han mostrado cómo la población de grupos étnicos minoritarios con edades similares a los de la población participante en el estudio de Istmina utilizaban con menor frecuencia los servicios de salud, y esto sugiere algunas situaciones de inequidad y desigualdad en el acceso a los servicios de salud bucal (31). No obstante, en el análisis de las necesidades de tratamiento, más de la mitad de la población estudiada requería obturaciones y, en general, eran de menor complejidad.…”