Access to oral health in early childhood in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil

The goal was to assess the access and factors connected to dental visits in children up to age five in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 Basic Health Units through a questionnaire and clinical examination on 560 children. Clinical (visible plaque, gingival bleeding and defs), socio-demographic, and visit access variables were assessed. Poisson Regression was used to calculate the Prevalence Ratios (PR), with a 95% confidence interval. Results showed that 68.2% of children had never gone to a dentist. The main reason reported for not visiting a dentist was not feeling the need (48.7%) and difficult access to a health clinic (15.8%). The purpose of going to the dentist was for prevention/revision (55.8%), and the most sought-after places for visits were the private office (43.9%) and health clinic (39.5%). The final multivariate model showed that age of the child (95%CI, PR = 1.03 (1.02-1.05)), household income (PR = 1.05; (1.01-1.08)), and the mother having completed high school (PR = 1.69 (1.15-2.56)) were associated with seeking dental consultation. Thus, it is crucial to recognize the importance of the family setting during the first years of life.