Oral Dis. 2021 Jul 26. doi: 10.1111/odi.13976. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Self-perceived oral health has been extensively investigated, but studies on homeless people are scarce, and there is currently no evidence from Latin America.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and factors associated with satisfaction with the oral health of homeless individuals in one Brazilian capital of the Midwest region.
SUBJECT AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 351 adult individuals attending a temporary public shelter who were interviewed about sociodemographic and psychosocial aspects, drugs use and oral health. The outcome was satisfaction with oral health (satisfied/dissatisfied). Pearson’s Chi-square test and Poisson regression with robust variance were used for statistical analysis.
RESULTS: The prevalence of dissatisfaction with oral health was 68.9% (95%CI= 63.9-73.6). After adjusting for covariates, dissatisfaction was more frequent among individuals who were married/in a stable relationship (PR= 1.18; 95%CI= 1.02-1.36), with felt need for treatment (PR= 2.27; 95%CI= 1.23-4.17) or complete prosthesis (PR= 1.35; 95%CI= 1.18-1.55); and those who used illicit drugs in the past six months (PR= 1.22; 95%CI = 1.06-1.39).
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dissatisfaction with oral health in the homeless individuals studied was high and associated with their marital status, use of illicit drugs and self-reported need for dental treatment and complete prosthesis.
PMID:34309141 | DOI:10.1111/odi.13976