A Framework for Equity Access to Primary Dental Care

Abstract

The objective of this study was to demonstrate face validity with a novel resource allocation framework designed to maximize equity into dental booking systems. The study was carried out in 2014. Eleven experts in primary dental care practice in Southern Brazil participated, using a three-round consensus group technique. First, the experts reached consensus on the items to be included in a 5-level diagnostic scale. They identified 21 clinical conditions and categorized them according to the oral health intervention required. Then, they described workload and activity standards for dental staff to carry out health promotion, oral disease prevention, dental treatment, dental rehabilitation, and urgent dental care. Finally, they agreed upon a set of wait times for primary dental care, establishing maximum waits from 2 to 365 days, according to the diagnostic classification. The framework demonstrated potential ability to promote more equitable access to primary dental services, since equal diagnostic classifications share the same waiting times for the dental care they require.

Occurrence of dental emergency events in Primary Health Care services

“…Category 1 corresponds to the lower end of dental needs and longer waiting time for a dentist appointment, while 5 corresponds to the higher needs and shorter waiting time (up to 2 days), i.e., need of emergency dental care. The model was devised, discussed and validated with primary care dentists in 2010 15 . The waiting times with a 90% stability guarantee for classes 1, 2, 3 and 4 were adjusted in 2016 being 365, 365, 180 and 76 days respectively.…”