Satisfaction with oral health and associated factors among homeless people in Midwest Brazil.

Abstract

Self-perceived oral health has been extensively investigated, but studies on homeless people are scarce, and there is currently no evidence from Latin America. To investigate the prevalence and factors associated with satisfaction with the oral health of homeless individuals in one Brazilian capital of the Midwest region. 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. 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). 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.