Social capital and dental service use in older Brazilians

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the prevalence of dental services use and its association with social capital among Brazilian older adults.

BACKGROUND

Health inequities can be explained by the social determinants of health, which are the social, environmental, cultural and behavioural factors that directly or indirectly affect people's health. Among these determinants is social capital, that seem to affect health behaviours, such as use of dental services among older adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study using baseline data from the Longitudinal Study of the Health of the Brazilian Elderly, nationally representative of people aged 50 years or older. The baseline survey was carried out between 2015 and 2016, using structured questionnaires. The dependent variable was use of dental services in the last year. The main exposure variable was social capital, assessed through two dimensions: structural and cognitive. The covariates used were sex, skin colour, age, education, wealth, need for dental treatment, self-perception of oral health, tooth loss, type of dental services used, reason for dental care, smoking and alcohol consumption. Descriptive analyses and Poisson regression modelling were used.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 9323 individuals. The prevalence of dental services use was 32.6% (95% CI: 30.7-34.5). No associations were found between social capital and the use of dental services.

CONCLUSION

This study did not find an association between structural and cognitive social capital and dental services use in Brazilian older adults. Further researches using instruments with different assessments of social capital are needed.

Social capital and self-reported oral health at baseline of the brazilian longitudinal study of aging

OBJECTIVES

This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the association between the structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital and self-reported oral health.

METHODS

This study conducted individual assessments of 9,365 individuals aged 50 years or older from Brazil. Four individual variables based on structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital were assessed. We used hierarchical Poisson regression models to estimate the prevalence ratio of self-reported oral health with individual structural and cognitive social capital variables adjusted for associated factors.

RESULTS

Cognitive social capital was associated with self-reported oral health. Individuals who reported lack of neighbourhood trust and not having friends presented 14% (RP: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.07-1.21) and 9% (RP: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.01-1.19), respectively, higher prevalence of poor self-reported oral health, relative to those who trust in their neighbourhood and reported having friends.

CONCLUSION

The cognitive dimension of social capital may be linked with self-reported oral health. Therefore, social capital can be stimulated in the context of social policies as its encouragement can be an efficient tool for improving individuals' health and, consequently, the oral health of the older people.

BAIXA COBERTURA DE SAÚDE BUCAL: COMO POTENCIALIZAR O CUIDADO?

Objetivo: Este estudo trata-se de um relato de experiência acerca de um programa da prefeitura da cidade de Santa Maria, sul do Brasil, vinculado à um projeto de extensão denominado Sorria Santa Maria que teve seu início em 2017 e permanece em andamento. Nosso objetivo com isso foi, além de contribui com os usuários que têm dificuldade em acessar os atendimentos odontológicos na atenção básica, promover e demonstrar as práticas em saúde coletiva, construídas em diferentes processos de trabalho e estreitamente ligadas a estruturas da sociedade. Relato de experiência: O programa destina-se aos usuários do Sistema Único de Saúde do município que não conseguem acessar as Unidades Básicas de Saúde, devido à baixa cobertura de saúde bucal municipal e às funções profissionais exercidas durante horário comercial pelos usuários. Os agendamentos são realizados segundo uma lista de espera com o contato de pacientes que manifestaram desejo de uma avaliação odontológica. Nas consultas, realiza-se então acolhimento, avaliação e atendimento destes pacientes até a conclusão do plano de tratamento. Conclusão: Importantes impactos foram alcançados até o presente momento, tanto em relação ao expressivo número de atendimentos odontológicos realizados quanto à redução das listas de espera para atendimento odontológico. Além disto, ressaltam-se que as ações de promoção de saúde ligadas ao projeto resultam em uma maior integração entre ensino-serviço-comunidade no município.