Abstract
Objective:: to investigate the oral health conditions, access to dental services and sociodemographic factors associated with this acessibility in rural quilombolas elderly in the north of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Method: this is an analytical and cross-sectional population-based study, in which cluster sampling was used with probability proportional to size (n=406). Data collection involved structured interviews and clinical dental examinations. Result: it was found that the majority of the elderly had low income and low level education. It was observed that a significant portion of individuals reported access to a dental surgeon (97.5%) and that they had had their last dental appointment three years or more ago (60.4%). It was also found that the majority of the elderly were edentulous (52.0%) and that the majority of respondents needen prostheses (88%). A high DMFT index was found in the individuals studied (mean value of 27.25). Advanced age, absence of partner e retirement were associated with irregular access to dental services. Conclusion: the local quilombolas elderly had poor oral health and restricted access to dental services. Age, marital status and employment status demonstrated association with low accessibility to oral health services in the elderly investigated.
Keywords
Oral Health; Health of the Elderly; Ethnic Groups; Risk Groups; Public Health; Public Policy; Quilombolas; Vulnerable Communities