Acesso e adesão aos cuidados em saúde bucal durante a gestação: um enfoque nos determinantes psicossociais

Abstract

The low dental services utilization during pregnancy is worrisome, mainly due to the increase in the susceptibility of oral diseases during this period and the possible negative effects on the baby. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify factors related to access and adherence to oral health care during pregnancy, focusing on psychosocial factors. In order to find the determinants of the use and access to dental services, two systematic reviews have been carried out, one quantitative and the other qualitative. The search strategy was the same for both, in the electronic bases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, BBO, CINAHL and Medline, with language filter (English, Portuguese, Spanish and French) and year (2000 to 2016). After selecting the articles, from the inclusion and exclusion criteria previously defined, the quality of the studies and synthesis of the results were analyzed. In parallel, an intervention study was carried out during the prenatal of pregnant women enrolled in a Family Health Strategy facility in Ponta Grossa – PR. The objectives were to evaluate the adherence to dental care after the implementation of a care protocol and detect their barriers and facilitators, for a period of one year. During treatment they received curative, preventive and educational oral health care. At the end, 5 pregnant women who adhere and 8 who not adhere to the dental care were interviewed to identify the barriers and facilitators found by them. The script and the analyzes were done in a qualitative approach. Finally, due to the need to know more about the role of psychosocial factors in the use of dental services, the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Locus of Control for Oral Health (LOCOH) instrument was performed for Brazilian Portuguese. The cross-cultural adaptation consisted of: initial translation, synthesis of translations, retro translation, analysis by a committee of experts and testing of the pre-test version. The validation of the instrument was performed through the psychometric analysis of the reliability (internal consistency and reproducibility) and validity of the instrument's criterion. In the quantitative studies, we identified the following barriers/facilitators: demographic factors (age, race, parity and marital status), socioeconomic factors (income, educational level and health insurance), psychological factors (receipt of oral health education/referral, oral health perception, beliefs in oral health and pregnancy, anxiety and satisfaction with dental insurance), behavioral (oral health practices, consumption of cariogenic food, smoking and usual source of pre-pregnancy care) and need perceived factors. The barriers / facilitators identified in the qualitative studies were: psychological condition of oral health, low importance of oral health, professional stigm, fear/anxiety of dental treatment, lack of information about pregnant's health, barriers of health professionals, family and friends advice, beliefs and myths about dental treatment safe, mobility and security, costs, time constraints, health system or insurance, employment loss and social support. Regarding longitudinal follow-up, the barriers / facilitators found among pregnant women who adhered or not to dental care. found were: predisposing factors (importance and benefits of prenatal care, feeling of going to the dentist, distance / transport, parity, systemic condition), perceived need (oral health condition before and after consultations), facilitators (support for consultations), health practices (change of habits), user satisfaction, health system (organization of health services). Regarding validation, six questions needed to be adjusted during transcultural translation and adaptation. Values for internal consistency and reliability were acceptable after the exclusion of 3 items. There are numerous barriers to accessing dental care during pregnancy, which can be overcome with an adequate organization of health services. The LOCOH questionnaire is valid and reliable and should be tested in the future in the population of pregnant women. Psychosocial factors strongly influence the use and access to dental services, some are exclusive to the gestational period, such as beliefs and myths regarding the oral health condition and the safety of dental care during pregnancy.