Fatores sociodemográficos, de estilo de vida e de saúde geral e bucal associados à autopercepção negativa de saúde bucal em idosos brasileiros

Abstract

Object of the study: Self-perception of oral health among the Brazilian elderly. Self-perception of oral health corresponds to the ability to subjectively perceive and evaluate one¶s own oral health, taking into account the individual¶s experience and how oral health affects their functions and social functioning. Objective: the aim of this study was to identify sociodemographic, lifestyle and general and oral health factors, as well as variables related to oral conditions, which are associated with a negative perception of oral health in elderly Brazilians. Materials and methods: this is a cross-sectional, population-based study. The database of the latest National Health Survey in Brazil (2019) was used to identify the associated factors. The sample consisted of 43,554 elderly people. Initially, the chi-square test was used to analyze the data. Next, a multivariate Poisson multiple regression analysis was carried out to check the adjusted prevalence ratios. Results: a total of 33.2% of the elderly identified their oral health as poor or very poor. This negative self-perception, from the multivariate analysis, was associated with men (p<0.001), black people (p<0.001), non-literate people (p<0.001), people with multimorbidity (p<0.001), people who don¶t brush their teeth every day (p<0.001), people who do not have a dental plan (p<0.001), people who have difficulty eating (p<0.001) and people who are not totally edentulous (p<0.001). Conclusion: in conclusion, negative self-perception of oral health in the elderly is associated with worse socioeconomic conditions, an accumulation of chronic diseases in the same individual, worse oral hygiene habits, difficulty eating and the presence of missing teeth.