Trajetórias de Saúde Bucal Autoavaliada e Fatores Socioeconômicos e Demográficos em Florianópolis.

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the change in the perception of oral health and its relationship with socioeconomic and demographic factors. This is a prospective analysis of data obtained through the longitudinal study EpiFloripa Adult, performed with an interval of two years, which sought to portray the conditions of life and health of the adult population in Florianopolis. The results found show that in regard to the changes in the assessment of oral health, 23,3% of the participants consider their oral health has improved, against 5,6% that believe their oral health has deteriorated. However, among the four analyzed variables, the results found show that only the variable gender has no association with the changes of the evaluation in oral health care, while the other three – age, income, and education – are associated with the outcome of various forms.The association with the variable age showed that young people tend to better assess the oral health. About income, individuals with higher purchasing power tend to positively evaluate the oral health. Concerning the level of education, how much higher the level of scholarity, the better it tended to be the evaluation of oral health – taking into consideration both the original condition and the changes that have occurred.