Avaliação do efeito das ações de educação na saúde bucal de idosos: um estudo na Universidade da Maturidade

Abstract

Introduction: Poor oral health conditions affect a large portion of the Brazilian population and constitute an important public health problem. This situation becomes even more serious in populations with less favorable social, economic and health conditions, such as the elderly. Health education actions can benefit the oral health of the elderly. However, they are still little explored. Objective: To evaluate the effects of health education actions on the oral health of the elderly. Materials and Methods: The study design is quasi-experimental. The sample consisted of 38 elderly people, 28 of whom were female and 10 were male. Socioeconomic information was collected. To compare pre and post intervention, the following procedures were performed; questionnaire to assess the level of knowledge about oral health of the elderly, the clinical examinations of the CPOD index (decayed, missing and filled teeth) and anamnesis to assess the situation of dental prostheses. The health education actions were structured in four thematic workshops on oral health. The workshop methodology was elaborated according to theorists of lifelong learning and health education for the elderly. Results: The level of knowledge of the elderly improved significantly in the themes, caries (p = <0.001), prevention (p = <0.001), gingivitis (p = <0.001), dental self-care (p = <0.001) and dental prosthesis (p = <0.001), except for plaque. No statistically significant differences were found for DMFT and its components and prosthetic condition of the elderly. Conclusion: Health education actions have a beneficial effect on the level of knowledge of the elderly, however, in this study, we did not find improvements in the DMFT and the condition of the prostheses. Health education actions must be linked to oral health care services for the elderly, to ensure an adequate and comprehensive oral condition. Larger studies evaluating new approaches to health education, longer follow-up and other risk factors in the elderly should be carried out.