OBJECTIVES: To assess clinical, behavioral and socioeconomic factors associated with nonuse of dental services by schoolchildren. METHODS: A cross-sectional school-based study with 1211 children aged 8-12 years was carried out in Pelotas, Brazil. The outcome (never having had a dental appointment) and independent variables were collected through interview with parents and children, including sex, age, parent's schooling, family income, self-perception about oral health, and dental fear. Dental caries was assessed by clinical examination performed at schools. RESULTS: 291 (24.3 %; 95 % CI 22.0-26.9) of the children had never visited a dentist. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis showed that the outcome was associated with children from mothers with little education (≤0.001), from public schools (≤0.001), from crowded households (≤0.001), who had no caries (≤0.001), who had dental fear (≤0.001), and who started oral hygiene later (0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the extensive increase in oral health coverage, especially in the public system in the last years in Brazil, there is still an unassisted portion of the population of schoolchildren. It was observed that socioeconomic, behavioral, and clinical factors influenced the nonuse of dental services.
OBJECTIVES: To assess clinical, behavioral and socioeconomic factors associated with nonuse of dental services by schoolchildren. METHODS: A cross-sectional school-based study with 1211 children aged 8-12 years was carried out in Pelotas, Brazil. The outcome (never having had a dental appointment) and independent variables were collected through interview with parents and children, including sex, age, parent's schooling, family income, self-perception about oral health, and dental fear. Dental caries was assessed by clinical examination performed at schools. RESULTS: 291 (24.3 %; 95 % CI 22.0-26.9) of the children had never visited a dentist. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis showed that the outcome was associated with children from mothers with little education (≤0.001), from public schools (≤0.001), from crowded households (≤0.001), who had no caries (≤0.001), who had dental fear (≤0.001), and who started oral hygiene later (0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the extensive increase in oral health coverage, especially in the public system in the last years in Brazil, there is still an unassisted portion of the population of schoolchildren. It was observed that socioeconomic, behavioral, and clinical factors influenced the nonuse of dental services.
Authors: Karen Glazer Peres; Marco Aurélio Peres; Antonio Fernando Boing; Andréa Dâmaso Bertoldi; João Luiz Bastos; Aluisio J D Barros Journal: Rev Saude Publica Date: 2012-04 Impact factor: 2.106
Authors: Luiz Roberto Augusto Noro; Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; Francisco Ivan Rodrigues Mendes Júnior; Kenio Costa Lima Journal: Cad Saude Publica Date: 2008-07 Impact factor: 1.632
Authors: Carlos Alberto Feldens; Mixianni Justo Fortuna; Paulo Floriani Kramer; Thiago Machado Ardenghi; Márcia Regina Vítolo; Benjamin W Chaffee Journal: Int J Paediatr Dent Date: 2018-09-02 Impact factor: 3.455