Structural factors for public dental health services in Regional Health Care Network 13: an analysis of the Brazilian National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Primary Care

Abstract

Introduction The Brazilian National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Primary Care aims to induce the institution of processes that expand the capacity of federal, state and municipal administrations and Primary Care teams to offer services that ensure greater access and quality. Objective To identify the characteristics of infrastructure for the dental health care of the health units from the Regional Health Care Network 13, from the perspective of a health evaluation. Material and method This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study in which is used the Module V database of the External Evaluation instrument of 156 health units of this region that participated of the 2nd cycle of the referred program, which discuss the modality of the health teams, structure and environment of the dental office, the hours of operation, equipment, instruments and dental supplies. Result In general, the oral health units of this study have dental offices with good structural conditions and sufficient equipment and supplies to carry out clinical activities, except those for dental prostheses, possibly due to the permanence of this service in secondary care. However, they point out that advances in access and coverage by oral health services are still necessary. Conclusion Although the theme includes other studies and reflections, the present work may contribute to discussions about the present condition, and it is recommended the active participation of all the actors involved in the care, in the search for the qualification of oral health services in this region.

Public oral health services performance in Brazil: Influence of the work process and service structure

“…A greater amount of dental equipment favored the offer of first dental appointments. This association has also been reported in previous studies [24,25]. The ratio between completed treatments and first scheduled dental appointments was also favored as the number of supplies…”

A Description of Infection Control Structure in Primary Dental Health Care, Brazil

“…Equipment, such as face shields, disposable aprons, and N95 masks, are now included in a new work routine and infection control that will challenge all dental services in both the world and the OHT in PHC in Brazil [ 14 , 15 ]. Previous studies identified differences between macroregions in the process of dental infection control in public services [ 16 ]. In this study, the South region had the best infection control structure, while the North region had the worst structure, corroborating previous national findings [ 16 ].…”

“…Previous studies identified differences between macroregions in the process of dental infection control in public services [ 16 ]. In this study, the South region had the best infection control structure, while the North region had the worst structure, corroborating previous national findings [ 16 ]. Studies show that Brazil is a country marked by regional socioeconomic inequalities that impact health [ 7 , 17 ] and that the country's health policies should be reoriented to minimize such inequities [ 17 ].…”

“…Public efforts at national, state, and municipal levels should be made to improve the infection control framework. This improvement has the potential to impact oral health work processes, as well as improve the health status of individuals and the population [ 16 ]. This study showed an improvement of 11.8% in the item, good ventilation, when compared to the 2013-2014 evaluation among OHT in PHC in the state of São Paulo [ 16 ].…”

“…This improvement has the potential to impact oral health work processes, as well as improve the health status of individuals and the population [ 16 ]. This study showed an improvement of 11.8% in the item, good ventilation, when compared to the 2013-2014 evaluation among OHT in PHC in the state of São Paulo [ 16 ]. Compared to a previous study with national data from 2013 to 2014 [ 1 ], an improvement of 9.9% was found, which is very positive.…”