Urgency and discontinuity of oral health care in children and adolescents

The aim of the present study was to investigate the discontinuity of oral health care among children and adolescents who accessed emergency services at primary care units and urgent care units. Records were reviewed of patients aged 0 to 17 years treated in the public healthcare system in city of Curitiba, Brazil. Discontinuity was considered when elective treatment was not registered at the primary care unit within six months after urgent care. The sample was stratified based on the Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI) (≤0.799 or ≥0.800). The association between discontinuity and covariables was assessed using univariate and multivariate Poisson regression models with robust variance (α=0.05). The incidence of discontinuity was 42.2%. In the MHDI≤0.799 stratum, the risk of discontinuity was greater among children younger than five years of age and individuals who had not had a dental appointment in the previous year. In both MHDI strata, the risk of discontinuity was higher in patients who received urgent care at an urgent care unit than those treated at a primary care unit. The incidence of the discontinuity of oral health care was high and was strongly influenced by the characteristics of dental service utilization among individuals living in regions with a lower MHDI.