Concern with dental appearance and associated factors among the elderly of two southern Brazilian cities

Diandra Genoveva Sachetti,Paulo Roberto Grafitti Colussi,Caroline Fernandes E Silva,Fernanda Pretto Zatt,Thais Carleso Trevizan,Cassiano Kuchenbecker Rösing,Francisco Wilker Mustafa Gomes Muniz

doi:10.20396/bjos.v19i0.8659272

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of concern with dental appearance (DA) and associated factors among the elderly of two southern Brazilian cities. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the cities of Cruz Alta and Veranópolis, Brazil. Oral health examination and a structured questionnaire were applied. Questions from the PCATool-SB Brasil tool and the Questionnaire about Teeth Appearance, both validated to Brazilian samples, were used. The collected independent variables were: sex, age, ethnicity, education level, marital status, retirement, health problem, use of medication, smoking exposure, alcohol exposure, access to the dentist, toothbrushing frequency, use of dental floss, edentulism, use of and need for dental prosthesis. Concern with DA was dichotomized into yes/no. Associations between dependent and independent variables were assessed by Chi-square or Mann-Whitney tests. Moreover, uni- and multivariate analyses were conducted by Poisson regression with robust variance. Level of significance was established as p<0.05. Results: The prevalence of concern with DA was 18.8% (n=107). The prevalence ratio (PR) of concern with DA decreased 5.8% for each year increase (PR:0.942; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]:0.911–0.973). Elderly without access to the dentist in the last 12 months presented 62.5% (p=0.006) higher PR of concern with DA when compared to those with access to dental care. Dentate elderly showed 219% higher PR for concern with DA (PR:2.197; 95%CI:1.364–3.539) in comparison to edentulous individuals. Conclusion: Prevalence of concern with DA was low and associated with demographics, access to dental care and edentulism.

Highlights

The phenomenon of human aging is a reality, and reflects an intense demographic challenge, probably one of the largest in recent decades
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of concern with dental appearance (DA) and associated factors among the elderly of two southern Brazilian cities
Edentulism and need for dental prosthesis were significantly associated with concern with dental appearance (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

The phenomenon of human aging is a reality, and reflects an intense demographic challenge, probably one of the largest in recent decades According to this reality, there is need to provide a higher quality of life for these individuals, which includes better physical, social, and psychological aspects[1]. Dental services and public policies did not prioritize oral health care in the elderly[4]. This may be one of the explanations for the worse oral health condition in this population[5]. Data from the latest national survey showed that most Brazilian elderly need prosthetic rehabilitation[7] This impairs functional aspects, such as chewing and speaking, influencing aesthetics

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Conclusion