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Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Individual social capital and dental pain in older adults
Orlando Luiz do Amaral Júnior1, Maria Laura Braccini Fagundes1, Gabriele Rissotto Menegazzo1
1Postgraduate Program in Dental Sciences, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.
Objectives:
To investigate the association between the structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital and dental pain in Brazilian adults aged 50 years and over.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study conducted individual assessments of 6154 Brazilians aged 50 years or older. Four individual variables based on structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital were assessed. We used hierarchical logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratio for dental pain with individual structural and cognitive social capital variables adjusted for associated factors. The model followed hypothetical pathways linking social capital to oral health.
Results:
Cognitive social capital was associated with dental pain. Participants who did not trust their neighbourhood had a 28% greater chance (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02-1.60) of dental pain than those who did.
Conclusion:
Elements of cognitive dimension of social capital, particularly trust, reciprocity and support, as part of a common risk factor approach, should be considered when planning oral health promotion and preventive activities for older people.
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