[Oral health related to working conditions, hygiene habits and health care in workers with subsistence jobs from Medellín (Colombia). Descriptive Study].

OBJECTIVE

Recording the relationship between oral health conditions, habits, access and use of health services, sociodemographic and labor conditions in informal workers, provides evidence to design and implement public policies. The aim of this paper was to describe the relationship between the perception of fair, poor or very poor oral health and working conditions, hygiene habits and oral health care in workers with subsistence jobs from Medellin (Colombia), 2016.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study with primary source of information was carried out, taken by survey of 686 informal workers. Variables were: sociodemographic conditions; labor conditions; habits; comorbidities; and oral health care. Dependent variable was perception of fair, poor or very poor oral health. Exploratory relational and multivalent analyses were made.

RESULTS

Workers aged 50 (±11) years, 57.6% men, and 44.5% reported regular, bad/very bad oral health. Associated with this perception were: being male (PR=1.26/CI=1.05;1.51); being between thirty and forty-four (PR=3.04/CI=1.36;6.81), and ≥45 years old (PR=2.65/CI=1.17;6.00); income ≤500,000 $ Col (PR=1.20/CI=1.00;1.43); ≤5 years of schooling (PR=1.22/CI=1.01;1.27) and >30 years in their work; having an emergency dental consultation (PR=1.66/CI=1.10;2.52); considering the care to be average (PR=1.68/CI=1.02;2.75), bad or very bad (PR=2.00/CI=1.00;3.99) attention; changing toothbrush ≥1 per year (PR=1.80/CI=1.18;2.74); having lost teeth (PR=1.78/CI=1.33;2.38); having prostheses (PR=1.23/CI=1.03;1.47); problems chewing (PR=2.16/CI=1.86;2.51); swallowing (PR=1.84/CI=1.54;2.21); speaking (PR=1.35/CI=1.02;1.78); and consuming hot or cold food (PR=1.22/CI=1.03;1.45).

CONCLUSIONS

The conditions associated with worse oral health perception, such as income, schooling, habits and access to and use of oral health services, could be improved by incorporating public policy strategies.