The use of dental services among preschool children: a population-based study

Abstract

The prevalence and factors associated with the use of dental services in a representative, probabilistic, complex sample with two-stage clusters of preschoolers aged 18 to 36 months was estimated. Structured questionnaires were answered by parents/guardians and the preschoolers were assessed by trained and qualified dental surgeons. In the analysis the corrections for the design effect were considered and the magnitudes of the associations based on logistic regression (OR/IC 95%) were estimated. 809 preschool children were evaluated, 15.5% of which had used dental services. Being older (3.27/1.71-6.24), having higher per capita income (2.65/1.50-4.65), having their own house (1.83/104 -3.23), having access to preventive oral health information (5.44/3.00-9.86), flossing (2.75/1.50-5.02) established higher odds of the use of these service. Not having the experience of caries (0.22/0.13- 0.38) and not having basic lesions in soft tissues (0.10/0.01-0.77) reduced these odds. The prevalence of the use of dental services was low, indicating the need for greater provision of such services and the broadening of preventive actions and health promotion and the greater the odds of use among those with better socio-economic conditions suggests inequality.