Acesso de pessoas com deficiência à assistência odontológica em Manaus – Amazonas

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to analyze the access of people with disabilities to dental care in Manaus. This is a quantitative, descriptive, exploratory and analytical methodological study, with a cross-sectional temporal cut, with 384 people with disabilities, of all ages and both sexes, who lived in Manaus. Data collection was carried out in establishments aimed at people with disabilities, located in the urban area of Manaus, using two forms: a) focused on the demographic and socioeconomic characterization of the person with disabilities and their family; b) focused on investigating the conditions of access to dental care. In addition to descriptive analyses of the variables to verify possible associations between the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of people with disabilities and access to dental care in Manaus. A significance level of 5% was adopted. The main disabilities found were: Autism Spectrum Disorder (43.5%), intellectual disability (13.5%) and hearing impairment (11.7%). The majority were male (61.5%), brown skin color (59.9%), with an average age of 16.9 years. Regarding access to dental care, the majority had already been to the dentist (83.1%) and, of these, 58.0% had their last appointment in the public sector, with a predominance of Primary Care (61.1%). Regarding the reasons for access, the main ones reported were: preventive treatments (51.1%), dental treatment (22.3%) and extraction (12.9%). Although 74.0% had their last dental appointment in the last year, only 57.4% had regular check-ups with the dentist. Regarding the barriers encountered in seeking access to dental care, 38.0% of respondents reported difficulties in finding a dentist in the SUS who treated people with disabilities. 62.2% often had problems with lack of vacancies. Lack of money was reported as a recurring difficulty by 52.1%. Access to dental services was more common among people with disabilities with higher family incomes, as well as among those who received the Continuous Benefit Payment. The perception of need also demonstrated an association with access to dental services. Most people with disabilities had already accessed dental services at least once in their lives. However, better planning of services is needed, with a greater supply of vacancies and active search for this population, ensuring frequent visits to the dentist.