Self-perception in Oral Health and Associated Factors in Brazilian Adults

Objectives: To undertake a multilevel analysis of the association between oral health self-perception and individual and contextual analysis among residents in the municipality of São Leopoldo, state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. Methods: The cross-sectional design involved 1100 adult individuals who answered the 14 question version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). The variables selected underwent initial exploratory statistical analysis followed by multilevel multivariate analysis, with the aim of adjusting the explanatory models to the factors associated with the outcomes of interest. Results: The bivariate analysis revealed that smokers and those living in higher-population low-income census tracts who are of the female gender, older, with lower family income, lower levels of schooling, lower quality of life and less social support presented higher odds of reporting worse oral health self-perception (OHIP-1). In the multivariate analysis statistical significance ocurred in gender (female, OR=2.65, CI=1.59-4.41), age (40 to 49 years, OR=2.11, CI=1.14-3.91; 50 to 59 years, OR=2.66, CI=1.41-5.02; ≥ 60 years, OR=2.49, CI=1.27-4.89), quality of life (moderate, OR=1.04, CI=0.59-1.85; low, OR=2.83, CI=1.53-5.24), social support (moderate, OR=1.79, CI=1.13-2.86; low, OR=1.94, CI=1.17-3.19), eating habits (moderate, OR=0.51, CI=0.31-0.84) and the habit of smoking (smoker, OR=2.50, CI=1.62-3.85). Conclusions: Individual variables are more associated with better or worse oral health self-perception than contextual variables.