Oral Health Care Discontinuity in Children and Adolescents in Curitiba, Brazil

42.2% of pediatric patients experienced discontinuity in oral health care after urgent treatment in Curitiba's public healthcare system. The study by Fábio Augusto de Oliveira Pereira analyzed patient records stratified by Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI). It found higher discontinuity risk for children under five and those without a dental appointment in the previous year, especially in lower MHDI regions.

Use Cases

• Predicting risk of care discontinuity based on patient demographics and service utilization patterns.
• Analyzing the association between socioeconomic indicators (like MHDI) and healthcare outcomes.
• Evaluating the impact of service location (primary care vs. urgent care units) on follow-up treatment adherence.

Strengths

• Includes a specific, high-level finding (42.2% discontinuity incidence).
• Stratifies analysis by a recognized socioeconomic index (Municipal Human Development Index).
• Focuses on a defined population (patients aged 0-17) and geography (Curitiba, Brazil).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Fábio Augusto de Oliveira Pereira

Collection Method

Records were reviewed of patients treated in the public healthcare system.

Geography

Curitiba, Brazil