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. 2024 Sep 10;21(9):1198.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21091198.

Decrease in Socioeconomic Disparities in Self-Rated Oral Health among Brazilian Adults between 2013 and 2019: Results from the National Health Survey

Anna Rachel Dos Santos Soares  1 , Maria Luiza Viana Fonseca  1 , Deborah Carvalho Malta  2 , Loliza Luiz Figueiredo Houri Chalub  1 , Raquel Conceição Ferreira  1
Affiliations

Decrease in Socioeconomic Disparities in Self-Rated Oral Health among Brazilian Adults between 2013 and 2019: Results from the National Health Survey

Anna Rachel Dos Santos Soares et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This cross-sectional study assessed the magnitude of inequalities in self-rated oral health (SROH) among different socioeconomic groups in Brazil. Secondary data from interviews with a sample of adults (≥18 years) from the national health survey 2013 (n = 64,308) and 2019 (n = 88,531) were analyzed. Positive SROH was considered when participants selected the good or very good options. Socioeconomic indicators were monthly household income and years of education. The magnitude of inequalities among socioeconomic groups was estimated using the Slope (SII) and Relative Index of Inequality (RII). Interaction term assessed changes in SII/RII over time. Estimates were adjusted for sex and age. The prevalence of SROH was 67.50% in 2013 and 69.68% in 2019. Individuals with lower socioeconomic indicators had a lower prevalence of positive SROH. Significant reductions in the magnitude of the education-based RII between 2013 (1.58) and 2019 (1.48) in Brazil, as well as in north (1.70; 1.45) and northeast (1.50; 1.41) regions and reduction in the income-based RII in the north (1.71; 1.51) were observed. Socioeconomic inequalities in SROH persist across different Brazilian regions, although there was a reduction in disparities among education groups in 2019 compared with 2013. The findings of this study suggest that equitable Brazilian oral health policies may have contributed to reducing SROH inequality over time.

Keywords: adults; dental health surveys; health inequality monitoring; health status disparities; oral health; self-concept.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of prevalence of positive SROH according to education levels in Brazilian regions in 2013 and 2019.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of prevalence of positive SROH according to income levels in Brazilian regions in 2013 and 2019.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Marginal estimates of positive SROH from adjusted logistic regression model according to income and education in 2013 and 2019. Note: The x-axis in the graph shows the education categories, and the different colors of the lines represent the income categories.
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