Structure of oral health services offered in Primary Care in Brazil: regional differences

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze the conditions of accessibility, structure and offer of dental services in Basic Health Units with the Oral Health Team and to compare them between the Brazilian geographic regions. The quantitative, analytical and cross-sectional study used secondary data referring to Module I, V and VI of the External Evaluation of the 2nd Cycle of the National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Primary Care (PMAQ-AB) (2013-2014). The descriptive analysis was performed by absolute (n) and relative (%) frequencies, and there was a comparison between Brazilian regions using the chi-square test using the Z Test adjusted by the Bonferroni method (p <0.05). The sample consisted of 24,056 Basic Health Units, in which 29,778 Primary Care Teams worked; of these, 16,203 (67.3%) had dental services and housed 18,119 Oral Health Teams. In general, the Basic Health Units had a good physical structure, but low accessibility for disabled persons. The dental offices had adequate physical structure and sufficient dental equipment, instruments and supplies. However, they exhibited a high proportion of mutilating service offerings compared to procedures that would avoid tooth extractions, and a low specialized reference supply.