Compared analysis of elderly’s oral health in Araçatuba-SP city, Brazil

Abstract Based on health public policies for the elderly, established by the Brazilian Health Ministry, this paper analyses the elderly’s oral health program, showing the Brazilian reality, which lacks preventive, curative and educational treatments. This research created an instrument to assess the oral situation of the elderly in Araçatuba city, through questions on the socioeconomic profile, oral situation, and use of services rendered by the municipal health service. We searched for data to subsidize projects of public policies that meet this population’s needs. Results showed that more than 80% of seniors are toothless, 77% use dental prostheses despite the fact that most live on their minimum-wage pensions, which many times are the main family income and have no access to specific public rehabilitation services and are illiterate. We come to the conclusion that the elderly in Araçatuba still do not have access to the preventive, curative, educational and rehabilitation treatments.

【摘要】本研究基于巴西卫生部制定的老年健康公共政策，针对老年人口口腔健康项目展开分析，展现了巴西当前口腔健康服务体系缺失预防、治疗与健康教育环节的现实境况。本研究通过设置社会经济概况、口腔健康状况及市政卫生服务使用情况相关调研问题，开发了一款用于评估阿拉萨图巴市老年人口口腔状况的调研工具。本研究搜集相关数据，旨在为适配该群体需求的公共政策项目提供实证支撑。研究结果显示，该市超80%的老年人口无天然牙留存；77%的老年人使用义齿，但多数老人仅依靠最低工资标准的养老金生活——此类养老金往往是家庭的主要收入来源，且他们无法获得专门的公共口腔康复服务，部分老人还存在文盲问题。综上，阿拉萨图巴市的老年群体仍无法获得预防、治疗、健康教育及康复类口腔健康服务。