Influence of oral problems and biopsychosocial factors on the utilization of dental services by preschool children

摘要

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of oral problems and biopsychosocial factors on the use of dental services by preschoolers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with preschoolers in northeastern Brazil. Parents answered questions on visits to the dentist and sociodemographic characteristics, and completed the Brazilian version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale. An oral examination was performed by three dentists who were calibrated for the diagnosis of dental caries, traumatic dental injury, and malocclusion. Descriptive statistics and Poisson regression analysis with robust variance were performed (α equals five percent). Results: There were 841 children in the study whose prevalence rate of utilization of dental services was 24 percent. Utilization was significantly associated with the child's age, mother's schooling over eight years, household income, severity of dental caries, and impact on the quality of life of the family. Conclusion: Caries severity, sociodemographic factors, and psychological factors exerted an influence on the utilization of dental services by preschool children.