Territorial Disparities in Dental Care for Disabled Persons and Oral Health-Related Indicators: A Population-Level Approach in Brazil's Public Healthcare System from 2014 to 2023

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2024-05, Vol.21 (5), p.632
• Main Authors: Lima, Ricardo Barbosa, de Freitas Miranda-Filho, Aluísio Eustáquio, Moura, Ana Paula Gomes E, Nelson-Filho, Paulo, da Silva, Léa Assed Bezerra, da Silva, Raquel Assed Bezerra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brazil; Dental care; Dental Care - statistics & numerical data; Dental Care for Disabled - statistics & numerical data; Dental insurance; Dentists; Disability; Disabled Persons - statistics & numerical data; Geography; Health care access; Health services; Healthcare Disparities - statistics & numerical data; Hospitalization; Humans; Hypotheses; Information systems; Male; Oral diseases; Oral Health - statistics & numerical data; Oral hygiene; Population; Productivity; Public health; Quality of life; Tooth extractions
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21050632

This study evaluated territorial disparities in dental care for disabled persons in Brazil's public healthcare system from 2014 to 2023. The person-year incidence of outpatient dental procedures carried out by special care dentistry specialists and hospitalizations for dental procedures for disabled persons were compared across different regions and against the national estimate. In addition, productivity was correlated with oral health-related indicators. The significance level was set at 5%. The northern region exhibited the highest outpatient productivity, while the southern region showed lower productivity compared to the national estimate (both -value < 0.05). This pattern was reversed in inpatient productivity (both -value < 0.05), with the northeastern and central-western regions also below average (both -value < 0.05). There were no significant correlations between the indicators and inpatient productivity, but outpatient productivity was positively correlated with the proportions of inhabitants who self-rated their general and oral health as "poor" or "very poor", who have never visited a dentist, and who visited a dentist for tooth extraction (all -values < 0.05). Territorial disparities in dental care for disabled persons were observed within Brazil's public healthcare system, and they were correlated with unfavorable oral health-related indicators at the population level.