Factors associated with the use of dental health services in primary care in northeastern Mexico

Abstract

Abstract:In Mexico, as in many other Latin American countries, the use of dental health services (UDHS) has been scarcely studied, especially the one related with groups that are considered at risk in certain areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with UDHS in an at risk population in primary care. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study, involving students (T), pregnant women (PW), workers (W) and older adults (OA) (n=368). Variables such as the use of dental health services and factors such as geographical, economic, and organizational barriers were measured. Descriptive statistics, Chi Square test and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis were used. Results: 40.2% (95% CI 30.2-50.2) of the W group had a history of UDHS in primary care, 20% (95% CI 11.8-28.2) of the PW group had spent more than a year without visiting the dentist and 33% (95% CI 23.7-43.9) had been treated at a private dental care service. Level of schooling, occupation, federal support from "Programa Oportunidades" and access to dental care services (p<0.01) were factors associated with UDHS, independent of potential confounders. Conclusion: The health system should guarantee health care by offering comprehensive dental health services and removing organizational barriers to promote a more equitable access to dental care.

Factors Affecting Demand and Utilization of Dental Services: Evidence from a Developing Country

“…In other studies, regardless of the type of payment system and insurance system, costs were mentioned as important barriers to access to dental services (26). This situation represents a serious problem because if people stop seeking dental care services because of the lack of health insurance or financial ability, there will be long-term consequences for their oral health, which will eventually lead to imposing high health expenditures on the health system in the future (27).…”

Use of the Explicit Health Guarantee of Oral Health Care for Pregnant Women at a Family Health Center, Concepción, Chile, 2014–2015

“…Since a similar scenario is present internationally, where most pregnant women do not request dental care, many studies have tried to identify the possible causes of this behavior. [15][16][17][18][19] As reported in Malaysia and Mexico, the main reasons why pregnant women do not request dental care are long waiting times in the clinics, lack of immediate dental care and economic factors. 15,16 However, although these problems would be resolved by GES, there is an underutilization of GES.…”

“…[15][16][17][18][19] As reported in Malaysia and Mexico, the main reasons why pregnant women do not request dental care are long waiting times in the clinics, lack of immediate dental care and economic factors. 15,16 However, although these problems would be resolved by GES, there is an underutilization of GES. It should be remembered that primary healthcare (PHC) in Chile is free and, as this is a health problem covered by GES, it categorizes pregnant women as a priority when requesting dental care, because they are included in the healthcare goals that must be met year after year in every CESFAM.…”

“…11 Other possible causes of this underutilization could be the ignorance of the harmlessness of dental treatment during pregnancy, low oral health literacy, ignorance of the effect of oral health in pregnancy, and dental anxiety. [16][17][18][19] However, as Cantarutti et al mention, international literature does not necessarily apply to Chilean reality, due to cultural differences and the characteristics of its health system. 20 We suggest performing prospective national studies with a larger sample size, in different health centers and with the incorporation of other variables, consid-ering both quantitative and qualitative approaches, in order to recognize the barriers that are responsible for this pattern.…”