Search

In this study, we evaluated the quality of life (QoL) and associated factors of community health workers (CHWs) in different urban settings as a contributor to the preparedness of Brazilian primary care for future sanitary emergencies. The sample included 1935 CHWs from 4 state capitals and 4 inland municipalities in northeastern Brazil. Information was collected on QoL (WHOQOL-BREF), work routines, sociodemographics, direct and indirect exposure to violence, general self-efficacy, social support (MSPSS), mental health (SRQ-20) and coronavirus anxiety. The data were subjected to multiple linear regression analysis (α = 5%). In the state capitals, the factors associated with loss of QoL were poor mental health, lack of training, uncertainty about occupational biosafety, and lack of adaptation of services to tend to patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Among the inland municipalities, the main factors were coronavirus anxiety, poor mental health, lack of adaptation of services, lack of training, and lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). A high MSPSS (family and friends) score and self-efficacy had positive impacts on QoL in both urban settings. Our results highlight the need for investment in permanent education, PPE, social support, and mental health care for CHWs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study investigated access to health care among female prisoners in the state of Ceará, Brazil, and screened for common mental disorders. We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study in the only female prison in the state. Ninety detainees participated in the study. All participants were either pregnant or postpartum women or had one or more of the following health problems: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, syphilis, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal that access to health care was limited, violating the fundamental rights of the prisoners. Screening for diseases on admission to prison was limited, especially among non-pregnant women. Differences in health care were found between health conditions, with priority being given to pregnant and postpartum women. Most of the inmates (68.24%) were found to be at risk for common mental disorders (SRQ score > 7). A positive correlation was found between age and mental health problems (p = 0.0002). Despite legislation guaranteeing access to health care in prisons, the prison system is unprepared to meet the health needs of female prisoners with comorbidities and pregnant and puerperal women.

Objective: To longitudinally assess domestic violence (DV) during the postpartum period, identifying types, patterns and determinants of DV, according to mothers' reports in Fortaleza, Brazil., Methods: Data from the Iracema-COVID cohort study interviewed at home mothers who gave birth in the first wave of COVID-19, at 18 and 24 months after birth. Patterns of reported DV were classified as follows: no DV, interrupted DV, started DV and persistent DV. Adjusted multinomial logistic regressions were used to assess factors associated with persistent DV., Results: DV was reported by 19 and 24% of the mothers at 18 and 24 months postpartum, respectively, a 5 percentage points increase. Persistent DV was present in 11% of the households in the period. The most frequent forms of DV were verbal aggression, reported by 17-20% of the mothers at 18 and 24 months, respectively; drunkenness or use of drugs at home, present in 3-5% of the households; physical aggression, reported by 1.2-1.6% of the mothers. Households with two or more forms of DV increased from 2 to 12% in the period. Adjusted factors associated with persistent DV were maternal common mental disorder, family headed by the mother and head of family's poor schooling. Food insecurity was associated with starting DV., Conclusion: Prevalence of DV was considerably high in the postpartum period. DV prevention policies should rely on improving care to women's mental health; preventing food insecurity; and fostering the educational level of young people of both sexes.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are the link between the Brazilian primary health care system and the community. Since CHWs live in the same neighborhoods they work, they are involved in what happens in the community, including observants and or potential targets of violence. However, it is not known if female and male CHWs perceive and suffer violence similarly. This study aimed to investigate the violence to which CHWs are exposed and if female CHWs experience and or perceive violence the same way as male CHWs. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from CHWs. Two periods (2019 [n=1402] and 2021 [n=364]) were compared. The data show that more than 80% of CHWs were exposed to violence, either as victims or witnesses within the community they served. In general, while the occurrence of violence towards CHWs decreased, their perception of community violence increased. Over time, the perception of urban/community violence remained constant among male CHWs, but increased among female CHWs, as shown by the significant rise between 2019 and 2021 in the percentage of female CHWs reporting witnessing or hearing about manifestations of violence (e.g., physical aggression; assault; stabbing; lethal gunshot; non-lethal gunshot; and gang violence). Among male CHWs, perception only increased with regard to the item assault. Given the complexity of violence and its repercussions on the daily routines of CHWs, intersectoral and interdisciplinary partnerships between health workers and other stakeholders are needed to create strategies capable of dealing with expressions of violence in the territories served., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

This article evaluates the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on the Family Health Strategy (FHS) team's work routines across a range of northeast Brazilian cities as perceived by community health workers (CHW). Data on COVID-19, CHW activities, and FHS teams were collected in 2021 by a structured questionnaire. A total of 1,935 CHWs from four state capitals (Fortaleza - Ceará State, João Pessoa - Paraíba State, Recife - Pernambuco State, Teresina - Piauí State) and four hinterland cities (Crato, Juazeiro do Norte, Barbalha, Sobral - Ceará State) participated in the study. Most CHWs were women (82.42%), with mean age 46.25±8.54 years. Many (39.92%) were infected with COVID-19, of which 70.78% believed they were infected in the workplace. A total of 77.82% defined their role as frontline in the fight against COVID-19, 16.07% reported receiving training for COVID-19, and 13.74% had access to sufficient protective equipment. Most (90.27%) believed their work routines were modified by the pandemic, either strengthening (41.46%) or weakening (44.41%) the team spirit. Home visits (60.55%), health promotion actions in schools (75.66%) and in specific community groups (93.96%), and other on-site community services (66.01%) showed a reduction in frequency. The sampled cities revealed a significant heterogeneity regarding responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly associated with a lack of coordination by the Federal Government. Regardless of context, the pandemic led to a reconfiguration of local health systems, workflows, and primary care protocols for FHS teams. The importance of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) and its potential for reorganization during crisis should be acknowledged while preserving the headway made thus far.

This study aimed to analyze the factors related to the mental health of Community Health Workers (ACS) in the COVID-19 context. A total of 1,935 ACS from four Northeastern capitals and four cities in the inland region of Ceará participated. The following data were collected: sociodemographic; professional; SRQ-20; WHOQOL-Bref, exposure to violence, General Self-Efficacy Scale (EAEG), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), COVID-19-related information, and the coronavirus anxiety scale (EAC). Approximately 40.5% had SRQ > 7, signaling high levels of Common Mental Disorders (CMD)/mental health issues. We adopted the Multiple linear (backward) regression. We observed that the increased risk of CMD was influenced by exposure to violence, EAC, not knowing they had COVID-19, not knowing the variables that reduced the risk, the physical and psychological domains of the WHOQOL-Bref, not having increased working hours, and not having had COVID-19. The data reveal the multidimensional dynamics of mental health and help understand the relationship between community violence, COVID-19, quality of life, age, and ESF working time with the mental health of ACS.

The objective of this article is to develop and validate a KAP (knowledge, attitude, and practice) instrument for caregivers of children up to 36 months of age monitored by the Family Health Strategy. This methodological study was conducted in three stages: an integrative review, preparation of the initial version, and content validation by 29 judges. The instrument was validated for content and appearance. The Content Validity Index (CVI) and the FINN and Gwe-AC1 coefficients were calculated to assess inter-judge agreement. The overall CVI values of the 39-item instrument were: Clarity (0.91) and Relevance (0.95). The final version was obtained through 19 knowledge, 10 attitude, and 10 practice questions on caries, diet, oral hygiene, fluoride, breastfeeding, artificial feeding, milk teeth, and the need to take the baby to the dentist. The instrument produced can be used because it has the potential for use depending on the more global assessment of its psychometric properties.

Violence is a major social problem in Brazil, with severe repercussions on the health care sector. Primary health care professionals, especially community health workers (CHWs), are at high risk of violence at facilities and in the socially vulnerable area where they work. This study analyzed the relationships between adverse working conditions and dimensions of localized violence on the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) among CHWs in Fortaleza, a state capital in Northeastern Brazil. Information was collected with a self-report questionnaire containing items on sociodemographic data, work-related violence, psychoemotional signs and symptoms (Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20), mental health care, and absence from work due to general or mental health issues. Based on the responses of 1,437 CHWs, the prevalence of CMD (32.75%) was associated with perceived, witnessed, or suffered violence in the work area. In the hierarchical analysis, CMD were associated with age, sex, religious identity, years of experience as a CHW with the Family Health Strategy (FHS), work neighborhood, activities in the community, considering the lack of bonding with families as an obstacle, having suffered domestic violence, use of medication for emotional dysregulation, identifying the neighborhood as violent, considering violence a physical or mental health determinant, and identifying impunity as a cause of violence. Thus, the work and mental health of CHWs were significantly affected by violence dimensions. Our findings are relevant to the adoption of strategies to mitigate the effects of violence on the work and mental health of CHWs.

Objective: To investigate knowledge and practice of Brazilian public primary and secondary health care dentists during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic., Methods: An online questionnaire with sociodemographic and COVID-19 knowledge questions was used., Results: A total of 4048 dentists working in the Brazilian public primary and secondary health care system were investigated; 4024 (99.41%) believe that COVID-19 can be transmitted through dental procedures. A fair level of COVID-19 symptoms knowledge by these dentists was observed (3.76±1.27 of 6.00), as well as the skepticism in personal protective equipment (3382; 83.55%) and biosafety procedures (3278; 80.98%) used as an efficient form of COVID-19 transmission prevention. Country region, performance of social distancing, dental specialty, the use of personal protective equipment, and biosafety preventive measures influenced the likelihood of dentists to perform dental treatment, either elective or urgent, during the COVID-19 pandemic., Conclusion: The need of extra preventive barriers for dental treatment may bring an extra financial stress in the Brazilian public primary and secondary health care system, as well as in the patient-dentist relationship, which may have to be reframed. Internationally accepted public guideline policies regarding dental treatment safety, as well as the technological development of preventive tools, are needed to deal with the challenges brought by COVID-19.

Introduction: Anxiety and fear are feelings routinely associated with the dental experience, especially in childhood and adolescence. These have been prominent in the world for many years and are currently considered a public health issue. Since the young population is an assiduous user of virtual inputs, it was sought to develop a mobile application (app) with the function of reducing the levels of dental anxiety in children before dental treatment and evaluate its effectiveness. Materials and Methods: An app, entitled "Hello, Dentist!", containing dental anticipation videos, was developed by a multidisciplinary team and evaluated. This app was tested in two children groups (dental and school settings), aged 6-10 years. Children and caregivers answered sociodemographic questions. In addition, to measure children's dental anxiety, they completed the Children's Fear Survey Schedule before and after app utilization. Control groups were utilized. A total of 100 children were included in this study. Results: Anxiety levels were statistically lower in the groups using the app when compared with their control groups (p < 0.05). The effectiveness in reducing anxiety was greater when the initial anxiety values were higher, as seen in the dental environment group (p = 0.029). Dental procedures previously experienced, as well as the environment (dental or school) in which children were inserted, were factors that influenced their initial anxiety levels. Conclusions: The creation and utilization of an app to reduce dental anxiety are feasible and effective. The app developed decreased children's anxiety, especially in the dental setting, by anticipating dental situation.

The study aimed to investigate the perception of doctors about the different hiring methods and their influence on the performance of the PHC essential attributes to analyze the formats that best contribute to its implementation and strengthening. This is a quantitative, cross-sectional research using a semi-structured form with 268 doctors from the ESF in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. A unique sociodemographic profile was identified for each group evaluated, influencing the work process and opinions about hiring formats. The development of the essential PHC attributes was positively evaluated, but different perceptions were observed by professional hiring method assessed. The work performed by doctors in the ESF is influenced by how they are hired (p<0.001). Better performance of the statutory (4.4) was noted, followed by scholarship holders of the Mais Médicos Program/Primary Care Valorization Program (3.7), Consolidated Labor Laws (3.5), and, finally, those working with Self-Employed Payment Receipt (RPA) (2.4). We analyzed that hiring through the Brazilian Statutory Regime and RPA are, respectively, the best (85%) and the worst (96.6%) hiring formats.

This paper aims to describe the indicators related to planning and support in the work process reported by the Family Health Teams, from the 3rd cycle of the National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Primary Care (PMAQ-AB) in the Brazilian Northeast. This cross-sectional study employed secondary data from the external evaluation of the 3rd cycle of the PMAQ-AB. Sixteen indicators were used to ascertain the teams' work process actions, and 14,489 family health teams that adhered to the program were evaluated. Among the indicators assessed, we found that the teams held a meeting and planned actions and self-evaluated, monitored, and analyzed health indicators to reorganize the work process, highlighting the determining and conditioning factors. Health surveillance and the Extended Family Health Center (NASF) stand out in the indicators of institutional support and multidisciplinary support for solving complex cases. We identified improvements in the work process of the teams in the Northeast region, but the reality of fragmented and vertical work still requires a change to promote an outlook of shared teamwork, directly influencing the work process.

Brazilian postgraduate education has grown in recent years, but there is a knowledge gap regarding whether the course's planned educational objective is being achieved. We aimed to evaluate the contribution of the Postgraduate Program in Family Health for the postgraduates' professional practice. This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 225 postgraduates from October 2019 to July 2020. Data were collected by an online questionnaire containing different sociodemographic and educational variables and competencies developed in the master's degree program and identifying the domains of Health Promotion Competencies. Most of the participants were female (78.2%), nurses (58.2%), public servants (64%), and SUS workers (93.3%). Two hundred and twenty-two (98.7%) postgraduates' final paper theme built on a practice-related issue. A high mean score was observed for all competencies analyzed. The mean scores for domains in Health Promotion competencies were high. We can conclude that the postgraduate program has contributed satisfactorily to the formation of critical, active masters, with competencies developed and being realized in professional practice.

The scope of this article is to compare the assessment of users of health services who participated in the PMAQ-AB on child health in the states of the Brazilian Northeast. It is a cross-sectional study conducted with secondary data based on interviews with 5,116 users of 4,190 Family Health Teams in the nine states of the Northeast macroregion. Fourteen questions on the medical monitoring of children from 0 to 2 years old were evaluated. Proportions and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each Unit of the Federation of the Brazilian Northeast. The indicators with the highest proportions were the Guthrie PKU test performed within seven days of life (84.4%), children always accompanied by the same professionals (79.1%), monitoring expected growth and development for age (84.9%), dietary guidance (86.3%) and up-to-date vaccination (95.3%). The indicators with the lowest proportions were guidance on the best position for the child to sleep in (45.7%) and whether or not the child's health handbook (46.9%) was received. In all indicators, there were significant differences between the states analyzed. There are differences in the quality of child health care on offer according to the evaluation of users participating in the PMAQ-AB between states in the Northeast.

We aimed to assess the association between dependence in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and oral health in older adults. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 280 people aged ≥60 years served at public primary health care centers in Northeastern Brazil. Sociodemographic, oral discomfort and general health data were collected. The Lawton and Brody scale were used to assess IADL. This research adheres to the STROBE checklist. Most participants were married (n = 139; 49.6%), women (n = 182; 65.0%) and retired (n = 212; 75.7%). A total of 37 (13.2%) older adults had some degree of dependence in IADL. Dependence in IADL was associated with: retirement (p<0.040), poor general health (p = 0.002), speech problems (p = 0.014), use of medications (p = 0.021), difficulty chewing and swallowing food (p = 0.011), voice changes (p = 0.044), edentulism (p = 0.011), use of toothbrush (p<0.001), use of toothpaste (p<0.001), and visit to the dentist in the previous year (p = 0.020). Functional disability was associated with older age, cardiovascular diseases, speech problems, chewing and swallowing difficulties, use of medication and brushing deficiency. The functional dependence in IADL can be considered an indicator of oral health status in older adults., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objectives: to compare health promotion actions carried out by Family Health teams in Ceará, linked to the School Health Program., Methods: a cross-sectional study involving the first and second cycles of an external assessment of 910 and 1,626 teams from 184 municipalities, which joined the Brazilian National Program for Improvement of Access and Quality of Primary Care. Eight clinical assessment and seven health promotion indicators were assessed, together with health professionals working in schools., Results: the interviewees were nurses (95.6% and 98.3%). Between the cycles, there was an increase in clinical assessment (78.7% and 91.3%), health promotion and disease prevention (82.5% and 89.3%) and survey of students for follow-up (41.4% and 66.4%) in schools., Conclusions: health actions at school advanced between cycles, with nurses as protagonists in school health, which can reduce vulnerabilities in children and adolescents and qualify Primary Care.

The scope of the study was to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 and social vulnerability variables in Fortaleza, as well as to verify the influence of violence on the work of the Community Health Worker (ACS) and the implications for tackling COVID-19. Primary quantitative data (e.g., questionnaires with the ACS) and secondary data (e.g., HDI, homicide, illiteracy, Bolsa Família [PBF] coverage and Family Health Strategy [ESF] coverage) were used. There was a relationship between COVID-19 and indicators of social vulnerability, where cases had a negative relationship with HDI and illiteracy; and deaths had a positive relationship with the homicide rate and PBF coverage. Regions with high death rates due to COVID-19 and social vulnerability have greater FHS coverage and less home visits by the CHA. The latter's role in tackling COVID-19 is limited by the violence in the territory. The thorough performance of the ACS in confronting this pandemic is dependent on intersectoral policies. Thus, the creation of a policy to tackle COVID-19 with the participation of the ACS needs to consider intersectoral actions for curtailing and preventing violence in the territory, in addition to adequate training in the prevention and detection of COVID-19.

Background: Brazil is the most populous country with a public, universal and free health care system. The National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Care (PMAQ) was created to improve the quality of primary health care (PHC)., Objective: To evaluated whether progress generally has been made within Brazil's PHC since PMAQ implementation, and if changes occurred uniformly in the country, while also identifying municipal characteristics that may have influenced the improvement., Methods: This is an observational study using data from PMAQ external evaluation (2012 and 2014), a 1200-item survey used to evaluate Brazilian PHC quality. After confirming the groupings of items using factor analysis, we created 23 composed indexes (CIs) related to infrastructure and work process., Results: On average, the large majority of CIs showed improvements between 2012 and 2014. Region and city size moderated changes in the PHC indices differently. Overall, there were better improvements in infrastructure in the Northeast compared with other country regions, and in smaller cities (10 000-20 000 people). Infrastructure indices appear to have improved equitably across the country. Work process improvements varied with city size and region., Conclusion: Despite similar support of PMAQ across the country, improvements are not predictable nor homogeneous. Non-uniform improvements were seen in Brazil's PHC. Though we do not directly evaluate the effectiveness of the PMAQ (financial reward) method, these initial findings suggest that it is a potentially useful tool to improve health systems, but additional support may be needed in regions that lag behind in quality improvements., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

OBJECTIVE To analyze the quality of the infrastructure and work process of the Family Health Strategy in the municipalities of Ceará between 2012 and 2014. METHODS Cross-sectional study, using secondary data from the external evaluation of the 1st (2012) and 2nd (2014) cycle of the National Program for Improvement of Access and Quality of Primary Care in Ceará. A total of 20 composite indicators were used to verify the quality of infrastructure and work process. RESULTS Data from 183 (99.4%) of the 184 municipalities of Ceará were collected in both cycles. A total of 1,441 teams were evaluated for the infrastructure and 800 for the work process. Among the 20 composite indicators evaluated, 18 presented an improvement, but in a non-homogeneous way, ranging between 0.0 and 413.5%. We observed that the lower the initial value of the indicator, the greater the variation in quality between 2012 and 2014. The indicators of infrastructure and work process were influenced by the regional health system and population size of the municipality, being more evident the influence on the variables of the work process. CONCLUSIONS We identified that quality improvements related to infrastructure and work process occurred in the period of implementation of the program in the state of Ceará in an equitable manner, being influenced by population size and regional health system, showing the influence of the context in the implementation of public policies of this nature.

Objective: Evaluate how coverage and quality of primary health care (PHC) and a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program associate with child mortality in Brazil., Methods: Multivariate linear regression models and least absolute shrinkage and selection estimator (LASSO) were utilized with the municipal level child mortality rate as the key dependent variable. PHC quality with PHC and CCT coverage were the independent variables. The quality of the Brazilian PHC was assessed using the Brazilian National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in PHC data. PHC and CCT coverage were calculated based on Brazilian official databases. Human developmental index (HDI), municipality size, and country region were used as control variables. A total of 3441 municipalities were evaluated., Results: We found that ESF (Estratégia Saúde da Família) quality variables PLANNING [Family Health Team Planning activities], CITYSUPPORT [municipality support for Family Health Strategy activities], EXAMS [exams offered and priority groups seen by the family health team], and PRENATAL [prenatal care and exams provided by the family health team], as well as HDI, percentage of PHC coverage, percentage of CCT coverage, and population size have significant and negative relationships with 1-year-old child mortality. LASSO regression results confirmed these associations. Quality is an important element of effective social service provision., Conclusion: This exploration represents one of the first investigations into the role of PHC system quality, and how it is related to health outcomes, while also considering PHC and conditional cash transfer program coverage. Quality of PHC, measured by work process variables, plays an important role in child mortality. Efforts on PHC quality and coverage, as well as on CCT program coverage, are important to child mortality reduction. Therefore, this is an important finding to other PHC public health services.

In the attempt to find a specificity for the Professional Master Program in Public Health (PM), we asked, what is, from the point of view of its means and purposes, kept or broke from the training models of the Academic (traditional) Masters Program (AM). In the public health field, this discussion possess an extra "flavor", as both program aim, in Brazil, to prepare health professionals to the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Therefore, this research sought to investigate the heuristic and innovative vocation of the PM vis-à-vis the AM as an education public policy. From a comparative approach, we analyzed the main characteristics and differences among AM and PM, face the flexibilization process of graduate programs in Brazil, and discussed if these features would characterize the PM into an educational public policy. Data was analyzed by the Content Analysis method. We conclude that educational institutions tend to reproduce the AM training model in the PM and the expectation of making the health service matter and reason for training is not sufficient to distinguish both modes.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated that Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs reduce poverty/inequity and childhood mortality. However, none of these studies investigated the link between CCT programs and children's oral health. This study examines the association between receiving the Brazilian conditional cash transfer, Bolsa Familia Program (BFP), and the oral health of five-year-old children in the Northeast of Brazil., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 230 caregivers/children randomly selected in primary health care clinics in the city of Fortaleza in 2016. Interviews and oral health examinations were performed. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with dental caries among five-year-old children enrolled in the BFP., Results: Around 40% of children enrolled in the BFP had dental caries. However, those who received Bolsa Familia (BF) for a period up to two years (OR = 0.13, 95% CI 0.05-0.35) had substantially lower adjusted odds of having dental caries than those who had never received BF. In addition, the association of BF and dental caries was more prominent among extremely poor families (OR = 0.05, 95% CI 0.01-0.28)., Conclusions: Although initial enrolment in the BFP predicted low dental caries among five-year-old children, the prevalence of dental caries in this population is still high, thus, public health programs should target BF children's oral health. An ongoing effort should be made to reduce oral health inequalities among children in Brazil.

ABSTRACTBackground:The study aims to assess the relationship between oral discomfort and subjective well-being (SWB) in older people., Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in four Reference Centers for Social Welfare in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil. A census was held and individual interviews were carried out with all the older people (n = 246) enrolled in the centers. A questionnaire addressing sociodemographic data (age, gender, marital status, income, and education) and oral discomfort (dry mouth, difficulty in chewing and swallowing food, problems with the taste of food, burning mouth sensation, pain for no apparent reason, and mouth swelling) and the 62-item SWB scale were used., Results: Participants were 246 people aged 60-89 years (mean of 69 ± 6.9 years). The majority were women (n = 199; 80.9%), had incomplete primary education (n = 161; 65.4%), had an income of up to one minimum wage (n = 182; 74%), were retired (n = 169; 68.7%), were white (n = 100; 40.7%), and had no partner (n = 177; 72%). The mean SWB score (subscale 1) was associated with age (p = 0.010), gender (p = 0.019), health in the previous year (p = 0.027), systemic diseases (p = 0.007), speech problems (p = 0.016), vision problems (p = 0.006), number of teeth (p = 0.010), and dry mouth (p = 0.044). SWB (subscale 2) was associated with gender (p = 0.029), skin color (p = 0.023), general health (p < 0.001), health in the previous year (p < 0.001), systemic diseases (p = 0.001), drinking (p = 0.022), soft tissue problems (p = 0.001), and pain for no apparent reason (p = 0.025)., Conclusion: The relationship between oral discomfort and SWB reveals that older people's poor oral health leads to physical, psychological, and/or social problems that directly interfere with their well-being.