Oral health information and access to dental care in peruvian children: a study of a national health survey database

Abstract

Introduction: Certain diseases of the oral cavity are associated with adopting inadequate health behaviors, where oral health information plays an essential role in preventing these conditions.
Objectives: To analyze the association between access to dental care and oral health information in Peruvian children.
Material and Methods: This research employed a cross-sectional design utilizing data from the 2021 Demographic and Family Health Survey database. The study focused on records of children under 12 who provided information regarding their access to oral health information. Independent variables encompassed access to dental care, time since the last care, and the place of care, with additional inclusion of covariates. Descriptive evaluations of the variables were conducted, followed by bivariate and multivariate analyses using Poisson regression. The statistical significance was established at a 95% confidence level, with p-value <0.05.
Results: Access to oral health information was oral health was 44.66% (n=11262); on the other hand, access to dental care reached 55.77% (n=13007), 12.37% (n=1507) expressed that their care was within the last two years and the main place of care was the Peruvian Ministry of Health with 45.51% (n=7396). Natural region, area of residence, place of residence, altitude, wealth index, health insurance coverage, and age were associated with access to oral health information. Access to oral health information showed a significant association with access to dental care (aPR: 1.72; 95%CI:1.59-1.86; p<0.001).
Conclusions: Peruvian children's access to dental care services and the time elapsed since the last dental care are associated with receiving information on oral health. Receiving care at the Social Health Insurance system was negatively associated.