Availability of dental treatment is associated with satisfaction derived from Primary Health Care Services accessed by elderly

• Published in: Revista de Odontologia da UNESP
• Main Authors: Aline Blaya MARTINS, Creta SEIBT, Matheus NEVES, Juliana Balbinot HILGERT, Fernando Neves HUGO
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Estadual Paulista 01.12.2016
• Subjects: health services for the aged; oral health services; patient satisfaction; Primary Health Care
• ISSN: 1807-2577
• DOI: 10.1590/1807-2577.06116

Abstract Objective This research evaluated whether having dental treatment available in the primary health care centers of the Brazilian Unified Health System was associated with greater satisfaction with the services accessed. The offering of dental care within the health service that elders usually access may improve their satisfaction with the services as a whole. Material and method In this cross-sectional study, 401 elders living in the districts of Lomba do Pinheiro and Partenon in Porto Alegre, Brazil were interviewed. Elders were selected using a cluster sampling design process from census tract drawings. Result Poisson Regression revealed that age and dental treatment supply were associated with outcome, and age, number of teeth, and the presence of dental treatment were associated with a higher prevalence of satisfaction with health services. Conclusion These results provide new contributions for health system qualification because this study demonstrated the importance of having dental treatment available to improve the satisfaction of older people with the Primary Health Care (PHC) services accessed.