Fluoretação de águas de abastecimento público e iniqüidades em saúde bucal / Public water supply fluoridation and oral health inequalities

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2006

RESUMO

Objectives: To verify possible inequalities in the populations access to fluoridated drinking water in 246 Brazilian municipalities and the respective impact on oral health. Methods: The information on the process of water fluoridation in the municipalities and in the macro region in which each municipality is located was obtained from the national epidemiological survey which was concluded in 2003. The data relating to the human development index at municipal level (HDI-M) and access to mains water came from the Brazilian Human Development Atlas, whilst the size of the population was obtained from a governmental source. The Fisher exact test (p<0.05) was employed to identify significant associations between the explanatory variables and their ability to predict the principal outcomes of interest to this study, namely the presence or absence of the water fluoridation process in the municipalities and how long this measure has been implemented. The logistic regression was used to observe the associations between the relevant variables in a multivariate environment. Results: The results made it evident that there is a relationship between municipalities with larger populations, located in more socioeconomically advantaged regions and with better HDI-M, and where fluoridation is both present and has been implemented for a longer period of time (started before 1990). Conclusion: The findings suggest that the aim of treating water with fluoride, so as to reduce inequalities and provide positive outcomes for oral health, may not be being adequately achieved, requiring more effective strategies so that access to this measure can be expanded equitably.

ASSUNTO(S)

odontologia odontologia sanitária Água - fluoretação odontologia preventiva

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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