Socioeconomic and psychosocial predictors of dental healthcare use among Brazilian preschool children

BMC Oral Health

Thiago Machado Ardenghi²  Fausto Medeiros Mendes³  Chaiana Piovesan¹  Carlos Roberto da Silva Teixeira²  Bernardo Antonio Agostini²  Simone Tuchtenhagen²  Rômulo Vaz Machry² 

[1] Centro Universitário Franciscano (UNIFRA), Santa Maria, RS, Brazil;Department of Stomatology, Federal University of Santa Maria, UFSM, Rua Cel. Niederauer 917/208, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil;Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of São Paulo, USP-SP, São Paulo, Brazil

关键词: Health perceptions;    Preschool children;    Oral health;    Healthcare disparities;    Dental care;   

Others  :  1125882
DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6831-13-60

 received in 2013-07-07, accepted in 2013-10-29,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

Disparities in utilization of oral healthcare services have been attributed to socioeconomic and individual behavioral factors. Parents’ socioeconomic status, demographics, schooling, and perceptions of oral health may influence their children’s use of dental services. This cross-sectional study assessed the relationships between socioeconomic and psychosocial factors and the utilization of dental health services by children aged 1–5 years.

Methods

Data were collected through clinical exams and a structured questionnaire administered during the National Day of Children’s Vaccination. A Poisson regression model was used to estimate prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results

Data were collected from a total of 478 children. Only 112 (23.68%) were found to have visited a dentist; 67.77% of those had seen the dentist for preventive care. Most (63.11%) used public rather than private services. The use of dental services varied according to parental socioeconomic status; children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those whose parents rated their oral health as “poor” used dental services less frequently. The reason for visiting the dentist also varied with socioeconomic status, in that children of parents with poor socioeconomic status and who reported their child’s oral health as “fair/poor” were less likely to have visited the dentist for preventive care.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that psychosocial and socioeconomic factors are important predictors of the utilization of dental care services.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Macrhy et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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