Experience of Discrimination and Oral Health Self-Perception: A Cross-Sectional Study among Brazilian Adults

Renato Vitor Vieira, Carlos Antonio Gomes da Cruz, Gizelton Pereira Alencar, Viviane Elisângela Gomes, Loliza Luiz Figueiredo Houri Chalub, Anna Rachel dos Santos Soares, Maria Luiza Viana Fonseca, Ichiro Kawachi and Raquel Conceição Ferreira ()
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Renato Vitor Vieira: Department of Social and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Carlos Antonio Gomes da Cruz: Department of Social and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Gizelton Pereira Alencar: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-220, SP, Brazil
Viviane Elisângela Gomes: Department of Social and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Loliza Luiz Figueiredo Houri Chalub: Department of Social and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Anna Rachel dos Santos Soares: Department of Social and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Maria Luiza Viana Fonseca: Department of Social and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Ichiro Kawachi: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Raquel Conceição Ferreira: Department of Social and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: This cross-sectional study investigated the association between experiences of discrimination and oral health self-perception among a probabilistic cluster sample of Brazilian adults who participated in the 2013 National Health Survey. Oral health self-perception was categorized into three groups (very good + good; fair; poor + very poor). Reported experiences of discrimination included attributions based on the respondent’s race/skin color, social class, income, occupation, illness, sexual orientation, religion, sex, and age. Covariates included sociodemographic data, oral health conditions, access to healthcare services, health habits, mental health, and participation in social and/or religious activities. Data were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression for non-proportional odds, considering sample weights and complex samples. Among 60,202 adults, 5.84% perceived their oral health as poor + very poor, with a significantly higher proportion among those experiencing discrimination (9.98%). Adults who experienced discrimination were 1.39 times more likely to report a “poor/very poor/fair” oral health self-perception compared to those who did not experience discrimination. Those who suffered discrimination were 1.28 times more likely to have a “very poor/poor” oral health self-perception than their counterparts who were not affected by discrimination. These findings underscore the importance of considering discrimination experiences as part of the social determinants influencing oral health.

Keywords: discrimination; oral health; health inequities; social determinants of health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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