Abstract
Introduction
The absence of functional dentition compromises people´s quality of life, reflecting on their perceptions, including the self-perceived need for dental treatment in adults. However, this relation is not very clear in literature.
Objective
To evaluate if the absence of functional dentition is associated to the self-perceived need for dental treatment in adults.
Method
Analytical cross-sectional study was performed, in which data of the National Oral Health Survey conducted in 2010 was used. The age group evaluated was 35 to 44 years. After bivariate and multivariate analyzes, the association between the absence of functional dentition and other variables as the self-perceived need for dental treatment, sociodemographic conditions and health endpoints was verified.
Results
From the 9.564 adults, approximately 20% of the individuals did not show functional dentition. The absence of functional dentition was lower in adults who were aware of the self-perceived need for dental treatment (OR:0.55; IC95%:0.39-0.75). The female gender (OR:1.76; IC95%:1.39-2.22), older age (OR:2.53; IC95%:2.01-3.18) and lower schooling (OR:0.82; IC95%:0.79-0.85) were associated with the absence of functional dentition.
Conclusion
The absence of functional dentition is greater in adults who do not have self-perceived need for dental treatment.
Keywords:
tooth loss; adult; oral health; self-concept