title: Influence of self-perceived oral health and socioeconomic predictors on the utilization of dental care services by schoolchildren.
abstract: The influence of socioeconomic factors and self-rated oral health on children's dental health assistance was assessed. This study followed a cross-sectional design, with a multistage random sample of 792 12-year-old schoolchildren from Santa Maria, a city in southern Brazil. A dental examination provided information on the prevalence of dental caries (DMFT index). Data about the use of dental service, socioeconomic status, and self-perceived oral health were collected by means of structured interviews. These associations were assessed using Poisson regression models (prevalence ratio; 95% confidence interval). The prevalence of regular use of dental service was 47.8%. Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those who rated their oral health as "poor" used the service less frequently. The distribution of the kind of oral healthcare assistance used (public/private) varied across socioeconomic groups. The better-off children were less likely to have used the public service. Clinical, socioeconomic, and psychosocial factors were strong predictors for the utilization of dental care services by schoolchildren.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. chaiana@usp.br
authors.forename: Chaiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Piovesan
authors.forename: José Leopoldo Ferreira
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Antunes
authors.forename: Renata Saraiva
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Guedes
authors.forename: Thiago Machado
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ardenghi
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires