Investments and costs of oral health care for Family Health Care

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To estimate the investments to implement and operational costs of a type I Oral Health Care Team in the Family Health Care Strategy.METHODS This is an economic assessment study, for analyzing the investments and operational costs of an oral health care team in the city of Salvador, BA, Northeastern Brazil. The amount worth of investments for its implementation was obtained by summing up the investments in civil projects and shared facilities, in equipments, furniture, and instruments. Regarding the operational costs, the 2009-2012 time series was analyzed and the month of December 2012 was adopted for assessing the monetary values in effect. The costs were classified as direct variable costs (consumables) and direct fixed costs (salaries, maintenance, equipment depreciation, instruments, furniture, and facilities), besides the indirect fixed costs (cleaning, security, energy, and water). The Ministry of Health’s share in funding was also calculated, and the factors that influence cost behavior were described.RESULTS The investment to implement a type I Oral Health Care Team was R$29,864.00 (US$15,236.76). The operational costs of a type I Oral Health Care Team were around R$95,434.00 (US$48,690.82) a year. The Ministry of Health’s financial incentives for investments accounted for 41.8% of the implementation investments, whereas the municipality contributed with a 59.2% share of the total. Regarding operational costs, the Ministry of Health contributed with 33.1% of the total, whereas the municipality, with 66.9%. Concerning the operational costs, the element of heaviest weight was salaries, which accounted for 84.7%.CONCLUSIONS Problems with the regularity in the supply of inputs and maintenance of equipment greatly influence the composition of costs, besides reducing the supply of services to the target population, which results in the service probably being inefficient. States are suggested to partake in funding, especially to cover the team’s operational cost.

The Oral Health Team in the Family Health Strategy: Trajectories and Challenges

“…For Pucca-Junior et al [33], this determination also aimed at improving the working conditions of dentist and making oral health actions more efficient. Importantly, the federal financial incentive does not, and did not, intend to be sufficient to maintain the costs related to OH [31], with states and municipalities being responsible for the financial supplementation for the additional expenses related to the maintenance of equipment, the purchase of instruments, inputs and specific consumables [34,35], and the payment of professionals.…”

Association between the development stage of the oral health care network and primary health care coverage in a state of southeastern Brazil

“…The main constituent elements of the healthcare network are the population, the operational structure, and the care model 2,3,5,6 . Several factors can influence the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare network, especially the financing of actions and services, as well as the organization of PHC 1,4,[7][8][9][10] .…”

Overdentures as an alternative to conventional dentures: a micro-costing analysis for Public Health Service in Brazil

“…Based on that, it is important to consider that economic studies must guide managers into rational decisions. Nevertheless, the production of economic evaluation studies with application to the Brazilian public health system (SUS) has been modest 3,4 , so the costs analysis in oral health are rare 5,6 .…”