Social determinants of self-perceived oral health in Colombia

Background: It seems important to analyze the oral health in Colombia, by means of identifying the health inequalities. We explore the relationship between different characteristics with self-perceived oral health indicators. Methods: Cross sectional study. Data proceeded from the Colombian National Health Survey (2007). The survey was conducted in a population of 80,631. The association of self-perceived caries “have you ever had an oral health problem (dental caries) in the last 30 days?” and self-perceived dental pain “have you ever had some dental pain in the last 30 days” was analyzed (Odds ratio- OR; Confidence Intervals CI95%), by different characteristics (sex, age, education and ethnic group, and self-rated health). Results: When considering self-perceived oral health, men (OR 1.19, 95%CI 1.12- 1.25), people with studies <=primary (OR 1.80, 95%CI 1.51- 2.15), and those belonging to the ethnic group “palenquero” (OR 2.56; 95%CI 1.07- 6.20), were more likely to report self-perceived dental caries. On the other hand, people aged 41-50 years (OR 1.25, 95%CI 1.08- 1.45), those with studies <=primary (OR 3.09; 95%CI 2.61- 3.66), and those belonging to the ethnic groups indigenous (OR 1.23; 95%CI 1.04- 1.45) and afrocolombians (OR 1.09; 95%CI 1.09- 1.43) were more likely to report dental pain. People with poor self-rated health were more likely to report dental caries (OR 1.53, 95%CI 1.42- 1.65) and dental pain (OR 1.69, 95%CI 1.56- 1.83). Conclusions: There exist vulnerable groups reporting oral health problems in Colombia. Policies to diminish inequalities are required from a social determinants perspective.