Periodontal disease is associated with poor self-rated oral health among Brazilian adults.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between periodontal disease and self-rated oral health among Brazilian adults.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data on 11,874 adults in 250 cities from all the Brazilian regions were analysed. The outcome investigated was self-rated oral health (dichotomized into "Good" and "Poor") and the main exposure was periodontal disease defined as the combination of periodontal pocket depth >or=4 mm and clinical attachment loss >or=4 mm. Demographic characteristics, socioeconomic conditions, clinical oral health conditions (dental caries, dental and gingival pain, tooth loss and use of prosthesis) and use of dental services were the other explanatory variables. Simple and multivariate Poisson regression was performed allowing the estimation of prevalence ratios (PRs). All analyses were adjusted for the cluster sampling design.

RESULTS

The prevalence of periodontal disease was 8.9% ((95%)CI 7.6-10.3) and poor self-rated oral health was 23.6% ((95%)CI 21.9-25.2) which was significantly higher among those who presented periodontal disease (PR 1.4; (95%)CI 1.2-1.5), after the adjustment for possible confounders.

CONCLUSIONS

Periodontal disease was associated with poor self-rated oral health. The results of this study should be considered by population health planners in order to assess and plan periodontal services.