Abstract
BackgroundRecently, increasing importance has been placed on the social determinants of health and disease. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of periodontal disease in Brazilian adults and identify possible relationships with social determinants.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed using a sample of 743 adults (aged 35–49 years) living in an urban area of a large city in southeastern Brazil. The condition of the periodontium was assessed using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI) according to the diagnostic criteria established by the World Health Organization (WHO). The variables related to social determinants were collected using a structured questionnaire. A descriptive analysis of all study variables was performed. Multiple correspondence analysis was subsequently performed to identify relationships between periodontal disease and the social determinants of health.ResultsThe periodontal exams showed that 36.5% of adults had a healthy periodontium, 2.0% had gingival bleeding, 47.1% had calculus and 9.5% had periodontal pockets of 4–5 mm. Periodontal pockets of 6 mm or more were the worst periodontal condition found (affecting only 2.1% of the participants). The correspondence analysis enabled us to form three groups with different profiles. The first group was distinguished by the presence of bleeding (gingivitis) or a healthy periodontium. The members of this group were typically aged 35 to 39 years and had 9–12 years or more than 12 years of education. The second group consisted of subjects with calculus and periodontal pockets of 4–5 mm. The members of this group were typically white men aged 40–44 years with incomes greater than $ 300.00. The third group was distinguished by the presence of periodontal pockets of 6 mm or more. The members of this group were typically adult females, black and mixed individuals who had 8 years or less of schooling, individuals with incomes ≤ $ 300.00 and widowers.ConclusionThe results suggest that periodontal health is worse in the group for which the social indicators are worse. Therefore, the social determinants of health also affect the severity of periodontal disease in adults Brazilian society.
Highlights
Increasing importance has been placed on the social determinants of health and disease
Recently, increasing emphasis has been placed on the importance of economic, social and environmental factors in the understanding of oral diseases, and public health research has focused on the social determinants of health and disease
Given that periodontal disease has a higher prevalence in adults [10,11] and that periodontal disease is one of the factors that cause edentulism [12,13] discover and describe its prevalence in the population and identify possible related factors may contribute to the reduction of dental mutilation.The present study aimed to describe the burden of periodontal disease among Brazilian adults and to identify possible relationships with the social determinants of health
Summary
Increasing importance has been placed on the social determinants of health and disease. In populations with low socioeconomic levels in developing countries, the prevalence of disease remains high compared with that in populations with higher socioeconomic levels [2] because the social conditions of a population are a determinant of health status [3]. This relationship must apply to oral health , which is an integral and inseparable contributor to general health [4]. Analyzing the relationships between social, economic and cultural factors and periodontal disease is of great importance because such analysis enables the development of public policies to improve the population’s health [7]
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