Dental care for early childhood in Brazil

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether characteristics of health services, oral health team and dental surgeon are associated with provision of dental care for children up to five years old in Brazilian Primary Health Care. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with data from 18,114 oral health teams in Brazil, evaluated in 2014 by the National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Care. The study outcome was the proven performance of dental procedures on children up to five years old. Statistical analysis was performed by Poisson regression based on a hierarchical model, where the first level was composed of service organization variables, the intermediate level composed of unit planning characteristics, and the proximal level composed of variables related to dental surgeon characteristics. RESULTS: Prevalence of dental care performed by oral health teams was 80.9% (n = 14,239). Scheduled appointments and activities of education in health were positively associated with the outcome, as well as planning and programming activities for the population and monitoring and analysis of oral health indicators. Complementary training in public health, continuing education activities and career plan were variables related to dental surgeons associated with the service provision. CONCLUSIONS: One fifth of health units in Brazil do not provide dental care for children in early childhood. Health units’ well-structured organization and planning protocols are associated with the provision of this service, as well as better employment relationship and graduate activities for dental surgeons.

Two decades of socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of untreated dental caries in early childhood: Results from three birth cohorts in southern Brazil

“…13 With regard to dental care in early childhood in primary care of Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS -Unified Health System), a higher coverage is provided through scheduled and preventive care, focussing mostly on health education. 36 So, there are few curative or urgent public dental care services. 36 The conduct of the dentists belonging to SUS primary care also aggravates this context.…”

Dental pain associated with untreated dental caries and sociodemographic factors in 5-year-old children

“…In view of the results regarding the prevalence of toothache and untreated dental caries, there is a need to establish public oral health policies aimed at 5-year-old children and their families, especially policies that facilitate intersectoral actions. The existing actions and activities regarding primary care in Brazil ( 17 ) need to be improved by expanding access to oral health services and preventive measures to provide comprehensive health care for children and their families.…”

“…An understanding of how toothache manifests in children aged up to 5 years is important for the implementation of strategies to combat this issue and for the establishment of health promotion programs that take into account cultural, economic, and intersectoral aspects. The actions and activities related to primary oral health care are reflected by the low cost of treatment ( 16 , 17 ).…”

The Role of Organizational Factors and Human Resources in the Provision of Dental Prosthesis in Primary Dental Care in Brazil

“…A recent study reported an unequal geographical distribution of the performance of dental procedures in PHC in Brazil [15]. Although this topic has been rarely explored, previous evidence suggests that the work organization of health care teams, planning activities, and human resources factors are related to the performance of oral health teams in PHC [16][17][18]. The management of the public health care system, including the human resources in health care, must be structured in order to meet the demands and challenges of the population [19,20].…”