Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric dental procedures in primary healthcare settings in Piracicaba, Brazil: an ecological study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant changes to dental care, which may have affected pediatric dental care offered in primary healthcare settings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the quantity of dental procedures performed in primary healthcare for children aged 6 to 12 years, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is an ecological study using data from the health information system of Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. The variables considered were: coverage of first programmed dental consultation, restoration of permanent and deciduous teeth, topical fluoride application (individual per session), emergency care, and deciduous tooth extraction. Two periods were considered: period I (March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020) and period II (April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021), before and during the pandemic, respectively. Comparisons between periods were made using the paired nonparametric Wilcoxon test with a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: There was an increase in emergency care from 15.4 to 32.4% (p = 0.0095) and a decrease in the number of restorations of deciduous teeth from 32.8 to 20.2% (p = 0.0217). The first programmed consultation showed a decrease of 9.60% (p = 0.0930) in period II. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered access to primary dental care for children, impacting the quantity of emergency care, reducing restorations of deciduous teeth, and first programmed dental consultations. These findings highlight the need for strategies to ensure that pediatric dental care is not neglected during pandemics.

Regulation of dental consultations in primary health care and performance of services in dental speciality centers.

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed the regulation of dental specialty centers (CEOs) coordinated exclusively by Primary Health Care (PHC) in four primary outcomes: access and dental consultation, reception services, bonding and responsibility, and social participation. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out using secondary data from the National Program for the Improvement of Access and Quality of Dental Specialty Centers (PMAQ-CEO): second cycle, using multilevel logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and individual covariates. RESULTS: The analytical sample consisted of 9,599 CEO users who had completed all the variables analyzed. Of these, 63.5% were referred to the CEO by PHC. Dental care regulated by PHC was related to better access (OR 1.36, CI 95% 1.10-1.68), better reception (OR 1.33, CI 95% 1.03-1.71), better bonding and responsibility (OR 1.36, CI 95% 0.91-2.04), and social participation (OR 1.13, CI 95% 0.93-1.35) compared to those not regulated by primary health care as the exclusive pathway. CONCLUSION: The regulation of access to the CEO coordinated by PHC presented the best performance. It is suggested that this form of PHC regulation, as a route for dental specialty centers, can be established in the national oral health care policy for better service performance.

Associated factors of prosthetic rehabilitation in specialized dental care in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the individual and contextual factors associated with prosthetic rehabilitation in Dental Specialty Centers (DSC) in Brazil. A cross-sectional study, with secondary data from modules II and III of the External Assessment of the 2nd Cycle of the National Program for the Improvement of Access and Quality (PMAQ) of DSCs, was conducted in 2018. Individual variables considered were socioeconomic conditions and perceptions about the structure and service of the DSC. Contextual variables were related to DSC. We considered the region of the country (capital or countryside), geographic location and work process of the DSC for prosthetic rehabilitation. The association between individual and contextual variables and prosthetic rehabilitation in the DSC was analyzed by multilevel logistic regression. RESULTS: Ten thousand three hundred ninety-one users from 1,042 DSC participated. Of these, 24.4% used dental prosthesis and 26.0% performed at the DSC. In the final analysis, performed dental prostheses in the DSC individuals with less education (OR = 1.23; CI95%:1.01-1.50) and residents of the same city as the DSC (OR = 1.69; CI95%:1.07-2.66), at a contextual level, DSCs of the countryside (OR = 1.41; CI95%:1.01-1.97) were associated with the outcome. Individual and contextual factors were associated with prosthetic rehabilitation in the DSC.

Factors associated with the absence of Brazilians in specialized dental centers.

AIM: To identify the individual and contextual factors associated with the absence of Brazilians at a scheduled appointment in Dental Specialties Centers (DSC). METHODS: This cross-sectional design uses the National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Dental Specialties Centers database, 2018. The outcome was the users' lack of at least one of the scheduled appointments. Contextual and individual independent variables were used, considering Andersen's behavioural model. The analyses were performed with the R Core Team and SAS (Studio 3.8, Institute Inc, North Carolina, U.S, 2019) programs. RESULTS: Of the 10,391 patients interviewed, 27.7% missed at least one of the consultations. In the adjusted multivariate model, the interpretation based on the effect size and 95% CI showed that the behaviour individual predisposing factors such as age ≤ 42 years (OR = 1.10; 95%CI:1.01-1.21), individual need factors such as participation in the "Bolsa Família" program (OR = 1,14; 95%CI:1.02-1.27), not being covered by the Family Health Strategy (OR = 1.15; 95% CI:1.02-1.30), and users of periodontics services (OR = 1.22;95%CI:1.05-1.40) were associated with absences. The behavioural factor associated with the outcome was that the DSC facilities were not in good condition (OR = 1.18; 95%CI:1.03-1.34). DSC located in the capital (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 0.92-1.48) were 12% more likely to have dental absences than those in the interior region. CONCLUSION: There are individual and contextual barriers associated with patients not attending specialised public dental consultations. DSC should offer adequate hours to patients, especially young adults and vulnerable people.

Health ombudsman and racial inequities in Dental Specialities Centers performance in Brazil: A multilevel analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to verify racial differences in the performance of Dental Specialities Centers in Brazil, according to the presence of active health ombudsman on four primary outcomes: (1) access and dental appointment, (2) reception services, (3) bond and responsibility, and (4) social participation. METHODS: Data came from the PMAQ-CEO national evaluation of public healthcare services, 2018-2019. The two main explanatory variables were the self-classified race at the individual level and the presence of the health ombudsman at the second level (level of services provision). Individual covariates included age, sex and schooling. Multilevel logistic regression was used to calculate the OR (Odds Ratios) in racial gaps according to the primary outcomes with individuals at the first level and public health services at the second level. RESULTS: The analytical sample comprised of 8993 respondents. Brown people were less likely to report better Access (27%), good reception services (31%), bond and responsibility (30%) and social participation (22%) than Whites. Black people showed similar patterns. Dental Specialities Centers that use health ombudsman for planning have attenuated racial inequities in all analysed dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: Dental Specialities Centers that use active health ombudsman for planning showed lower racial inequities in access, reception, bond and responsibility and social participation than those who did not use. Therefore, the health ombudsman should be implemented and used for planning better specialized dental services in Brazil.

Determinants of adherence to dental treatment of socially vulnerable adolescents: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Different studies with adolescents address the difficulty they have to adhere to oral dental treatments. Therefore, better understanding the processes involved in adherence to treatment in this population is necessary. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that influence adherence to dental treatment in socially underprivileged adolescents in primary care. RESULTS: Non-adherence to treatment showed high rate in the studied sample (49.5%). Family income (p = 0.039) and number of individuals in the family (p = 0.003) were associated with non-adherence to dental treatment. It is concluded that the adolescents' social vulnerability condition resulted in situations that are incompatible with adherence, which hinders dental treatment and health service planning.

Factors associated with poor oral health-related quality of life among non-institutionalized Brazilian older adults: Oral health and quality of life in older adults.

AIMS: To investigate the factors associated with poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a sample of Brazilian older adults. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 535 non-institutionalized elders aged 60 years or older from Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. OHRQoL was measured using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). Data on sociodemographic characteristics, self-perceived general health status, and health-related behaviors were obtained through a structured questionnaire. Data on chronic diseases were obtained from health records. Associations between exploratory factors and low OHRQoL (% GOHAI score <30) were evaluated using multivariate Poisson regression models to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) and confidence intervals. The mean OHRQoL score was 30 (± 4.4). In bivariate analysis, being not married, smoking, and self-rated "fair/poor" general health status were associated with lower OHRQoL. In the adjusted model, self-rated "fair/poor" general health (PR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.05-1.48), presence of chronic diseases (PR: 1.88; 95% CI: 1.37-2.58), smoking (PR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.02-1.53), and reason for last dental appointment (PR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.13-1.59) were associated with poor OHRQoL. CONCLUSION: Non-institutionalized older adults with a history of chronic diseases, who smoke, have a negative perception of their general health, and had the last dental appointment motivated by pain present significantly higher prevalence rates of poor OHRQoL.

Dental caries and oral health behavior assessments among portuguese adolescents / Caries dental y evaluaciones del comportamiento de salud bucal en adolescentes portugueses

Introduction: Adolescents have a high risk of developing caries in Portugal. The present study is designed to assess dental caries experience among the adolescents by the application of DMFT index, characterize the oral health risk factors and to determine the association between caries experience and socio-demographic variables. The characterization of the oral health behaviors of adolescents of the central region of Portugal will help in the development of specific oral health education strategies to improve oral health among the local communities. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenient sample of 694 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years attending public schools in two Portuguese districts using a structured questionnaire designed to investigate oral health and behavior of participants. In addition, a clinical examination was carried out noting the decayed, missing and filled teeth. A descriptive analysis of the variables was performed using the Chi-square, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests (p<0.05). A multivariate analysis was applied for analysis of the association between variables. Results: The mean DMFT index score of 2.91±2.9 was obtained. Of the total sample, 73% consumed sugary food daily, 50.1% considered having good oral health and 70.8% did not report pain in the last 12 months. Most adolescents (79.4%) brushed their teeth daily and 60% did not use dental floss. Of the total sample, 96.4% had a dental appointment in the last 12 months, 46.4% of which was for preventive purposes. Applying the Chi-square statistical test, we verified that the adolescents who brush their teeth daily presented a good perception about their oral health (p<0.001), the DMFT index scores were associated with the residence area (p=0.01) and the presence of dental caries was associated with the perception of oral health (p=0.049) and sugary food intake (p=0.029).Conclusion: Portuguese adolescents presented a low DMFT index. The DMFT index was associated with residence area, perception of oral health and sugary food intake. Daily toothbrushing was associated with self-perception of oral health. It is suggested that oral health promotion and prevention programs should aim to reduce the risks of oral disease development.

Introducción: Los adolescentes tienen un alto riesgo de desarrollar caries en Portugal. El presente estudio está diseñado para evaluar la experiencia de caries dental entre los adolescentes mediante la aplicación del índice CPOD, caracterizar los factores de riesgo para la salud bucal y determinar la asociación entre la experiencia de caries y las variables sociodemográficas. La caracterización de los comportamientos de salud bucal de los adolescentes de la región central de Portugal ayudará en el desarrollo de estrategias específicas de educación en salud bucal para mejorar la salud bucal entre las comunidades locales. Material y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal en una muestra por conveniencia de 694 adolescentes de 12 a 18 años que asisten a escuelas públicas en dos distritos portugueses utilizando un cuestionario estructurado diseñado para investigar la salud bucal y el comportamiento de los participantes. Además, se llevó a cabo un examen clínico observando los dientes cariados, faltantes y obturados. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo de las variables mediante las pruebas de Chi-cuadrado, Mann-Whitney y Kruskal-Wallis (p <0,05). Se aplicó un análisis multivariado para el análisis de la asociación entre variables. Resultados: Se obtuvo la puntuación media del índice CPOD de 2,91 ± 2,9. Del total de la muestra, el 73% consumía alimentos azucarados diariamente, el 50,1% consideró tener buena salud bucal y el 70,8% no refirió dolor en los últimos 12 meses. La mayoría de los adolescentes (79,4%) se cepillaban los dientes a diario y el 60% no usaba hilo dental. Del total de la muestra, el 96,4% tuvo cita con el dentista en los últimos 12 meses, de la cual el 46,4% fue con fines preventivos. Aplicando la prueba estadística de Chi-cuadrado, verificamos que los adolescentes que se cepillan los dientes diariamente presentaban una buena percepción sobre su salud bucal (p <0.001), las puntuaciones del índice CPOD se asociaron al área de residencia (p = 0.01) y la caries dental se asoció con la percepción de salud bucal (p = 0,049) y con la ingesta de alimentos azucarados (p = 0,029). Conclusión: Los adolescentes portugueses presentaron un índice CPOD bajo. El índice CPOD se asoció con el área de residencia, la percepción de salud bucal y la ingesta de alimentos azucarados. El cepillado diario de los dientes se asoció con la autopercepción de la salud bucal. Se sugiere que los programas de promoción y prevención de la salud bucal deben ser enfocados en reducir los riesgos de desarrollo de enfermedades bucodentales.

Self-perceived dental treatment need among adolescents: A hierarchical analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to analyse the factors associated with self-perceived need for dental treatment among adolescents. METHODS: A representative sample in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, comprising 5558 adolescents, was evaluated in 2015. The adolescents were selected by probabilistic sampling by conglomerates in two stages. The outcome evaluated was self-perceived treatment need measured via a validated questionnaire. Independent variables included sociodemographic factors, type, frequency and reason for last dental visit, and examination of oral conditions. Statistical analysis was based on the multiple hierarchical logistic regression model. RESULTS: Of the total sample, 3340 (62.6%) adolescents reported needing dental treatment. After fitting the model, the self-perceived need for treatment was associated with adolescents with family income of up to $1,500 BRL (OR 1.39; [95% CI = 1.20-1.60]; P < .001), who sought dental services solely for curative treatment (OR 1.58; [95% CI = 1.46-1.72]; P < .001), reported toothaches in the previous six months (OR 2.88; [95% CI = 2.53-3.28]; P < .001), were dissatisfied with the appearance of their teeth and mouth (OR 5.94; [95% CI = 5.03-7.01]; P < .001), had caries in the posterior teeth only (OR 3.04; [95% CI = 2.77-3.33]; P < .001) or had caries in the anterior teeth (OR 4.75; [95% CI = 4.05-5.56]; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The self-perceived need for dental treatment among Brazilian adolescents was associated with normative and subjective needs, and sociodemographic context factors. This finding provides important evidence for collective health planning.

Relations of drug use and socioeconomic factors with adherence to dental treatment among adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents are vulnerable to behaviors that weaken health, by adopting habits that interfere with adherence to treatment. The aims of the present study were to investigate adolescents' adherence to dental treatment and the relations between this behavior and socioeconomic factors and consumption of licit and illicit chemical substances. METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted with 474 adolescents from Piracicaba/SP/Brazil, who initially underwent a dental examination to verify the adherence for dental treatment. After 18 months, 325 adolescents were reassessed. Valid questions about socioeconomic conditions and use of alcohol and drugs were applied to participants. The chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used. The prevalence ratios were estimated with the respective 95% confidence intervals, using generalized linear models with Poisson distribution. RESULTS: Eighteen (18) months after the first consultation, 325 adolescents were reassessed: 161 (49%) did not adhere to the treatment, and 164 (51%) adhered to it and answered the socioeconomic and alcohol and illicit drug questionnaires. Their mean age was 15 ± 1 years; of them, 189 (58%) were female. The prevalence of adherence to treatment decreased in patients without their own home (p = 0.034). In the individual analysis of the variables, drinking alcohol alone, experimenting with drugs, and proximity of friends who consumed illicit substances were associated with the outcome (p < 0.05). However, in the joint analysis, only proximity of friends who consumed drugs was the factor related to low adherence to dental treatment among the adolescents (p = 0.035). CONCLUSION: Adolescents who consumed alcohol and socialized with friends who used illicit drugs had greater difficulty in adhering to dental treatment.

Social vulnerability and factors associated with oral impact on daily performance among adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Oral disorders may negatively affect the quality of life (QoL) of adolescents. To investigate how social vulnerability and oral-health status factors affect QoL in 15-19 years olds who participated in the "SB São Paulo 2015" state survey. METHODS: The relationship of several independent variables, namely Paulista Social Vulnerability Index (PSVI) score, gender, skin color, family income, age, untreated caries, tooth loss [determined by the Decayed, Missing, Filled-Teeth (DMF-T) index], toothache, periodontal condition [determined by the Community Periodontal Index (CPI)], and malocclusion (maxillary overjet, cross bite, or open bite) affect daily life, measured by the Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP) instrument. Logistic regression analyses were carried out based on a hierarchical model. RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 5402 adolescents. The prevalence of at least one negative impact of oral health on QoL was 37.3%. After adjustment, demographic factors that were found to influence this impact significantly (p < 0.01) were female gender [odds ratio (OR) 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.59-2.0], non-white skin color (OR 1.66, 95% CI = 1.47-1.88), and a low family income (OR 1.28, 95% CI = 1.28-1.29). Additionally, oral conditions associated with oral health impact on QoL included the presence of at least one untreated tooth decay lesion (OR 1.42, 95% CI = 1.25-1.61), loss of at least one tooth (OR 1.49; 95% CI = 1.25-1.78), toothache (OR 4.87, 95% CI = 4.25-5.59), bleeding on probing (OR 1.45, 95% CI = 1.25-1.68), and severe maxillary overjet (OR 1.68, 95% CI = 1.15-2.45). CONCLUSION: Social vulnerability (PSVI score) was not associated with the OIDP score, but oral health conditions and socio-demographic variables, including gender, skin color, and income, were found to affect adolescents' daily activities. Strategies that consider the perceptions of this segment of the population should be implemented to strengthen their autonomy and totality of care.