Author:

• Leonardo Carnut - Carnut, L. - Recife, Pernambuco - Faculdade de Odontologia de Pernambuco/Universidade de Pernambuco - FOP/UPE - <leonardo.carnut@gmail.com>

Thematic Area:

Não Categorizado

Abstract:

This survey set out to validate the Oral Health Care Needs Index (OHCNI), based on the social status of the families. The validation process was divided into two phases, namely a face validation and a construct validation. In the latter, data on caries experience, toothache and access to oral health services was collected. To validate the index a random, stratified sample of 412 children aged 3-5 yr and 7-12 yr was obtained, based on the OHCNI algorithm, all the children being from the areas of Recife covered by the family health program. The analysis consisted of a descriptive phase and an analytical one, adopting a 5% level of significance. The index was considered by an expert committee to have a good face validity. The convergent construct validation was associated with a decay component of dmft (p = 0.03) and DMFT (p = 0.01); the divergent construct validation was associated with access to oral care (p = 0.001) and filled component of dmft (p = 0.05), showing no association with the filled component of DMFT. The Oral Health Care Needs Index was shown to have a good initial validation and could be used as a useful tool in the planning of dental care at a local level.

Key-words: epidemiologic surveillance, equity in health, public health dentistry

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