Oral health of elderly people living in a rural community of slave descendants in Brazil

Abstract Background Oral health has an important impact on quality of life and should be an integral part of the overall health of the individual. Quilombolas, afro-descendants communities, live in difficult-access rural areas and with several obstacles on the use of health services. Objective This study is aimed to analyse the oral health conditions of the older Quilombola population in the North of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and the main limitations faced by these communities regarding public health services' access. Method This study evaluated the oral health of elderly Quilombola population in the North of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The study's population consisted in 669 Quilombolas, aged 65 to 74 years old, residing in 33 Quilombola rural communities that are located in 20 different counties of Brazil. Examinations and interviews were conducted in the houses of the elderly people surveyed for the assessment of oral health condition, analysing the use of dental health services, objective conditions (clinical) and subjective conditions (reported). Results Most of the interviewees were self-declared black, female, illiterate and living below the minimum wage. More than 50% of the elderly Quilombola- population interviewed were edentulous and only 17% used total prosthesis. The smiling was the main impact of oral condition reported by them in everyday life. Conclusion The analysis provided by this study exposes the impact of overlooked oral health conditions in minority populations as Quilombolas and reinforces the need of public investments in those vulnerable communities.

【研究背景】口腔健康对生活质量具有重要影响，理应成为个体整体健康不可或缺的组成部分。基隆博拉社区（Quilombola）作为非洲裔后裔聚居社区，大多地处交通不便的乡村区域，在获取医疗卫生服务方面存在多重障碍。【研究目的】本研究旨在分析巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州（Minas Gerais）北部老年基隆博拉群体的口腔健康状况，以及该类社区在获取公共医疗卫生服务时面临的主要限制因素。【研究方法】本研究针对巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州北部的老年基隆博拉群体开展口腔健康评估。研究对象为669名年龄介于65至74岁之间的基隆博拉居民，他们均居住在巴西20个不同县域内的33个基隆博拉乡村社区中。研究人员在受访老年人的家中开展口腔检查与访谈，以评估其口腔健康状况，同时分析其口腔医疗卫生服务的使用情况、客观（临床）指标与主观（自述）健康状况。【研究结果】大部分受访者自述为黑人女性，未受过正规教育，且收入低于最低工资标准。超过50%的受访老年基隆博拉群体为无牙颌（edentulous）患者，仅17%的人群使用全口义齿（total prosthesis）。受访者自述口腔状况对其日常生活的主要影响体现在微笑方面。【研究结论】本研究的分析结果揭示了基隆博拉这类少数群体所被忽视的口腔健康状况带来的负面影响，同时强调了对这些弱势社区加大公共卫生投入的必要性。