Abstract
The scope of this cross-sectional study was to describe the periodontal status and its association with sociodemographic, oral-health related behaviors and use of drugs among temporarily institutionalized homeless adults. The data were collected through oral clinical examination and a questionnaire with 102 adults attending the only public institution for this group in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. The periodontal condition was measured by the presence of bleeding on probing, dental calculus and pockets, according to the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Chi-square test and Poisson regressions with robust variance were performed. The prevalence of CPI>1 was 83.3%. Approximately 68% of the sample had bleeding, 82.4% had calculus and 9.8% had periodontal pockets. In the bivariate analyses, those who reported having used illicit drugs had a higher prevalence of calculus; males and unmarried adults had a higher prevalence of pockets. In the adjusted analysis, individuals who used dental floss had a lower prevalence of bleeding (PR=0.58; 95%CI=0.35-0.96). The remaining covariates were not associated with the outcomes. It was concluded that the prevalence of periodontal alteration was high, the most frequent condition was calculus and the only independent association was between bleeding and the use of dental floss.
Key words:
Periodontal diseases; Homeless adults; Periodontal index