Primary Care Dentistry in Brazil: From Prevention to Comprehensive Care

• Published in: The Journal of ambulatory care management Vol. 40 Suppl 2 Supplement, The Brazilian National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality (PMAQ); no. 2 Suppl; pp. S35 - S48
• Main Authors: Neves, Matheus, Giordani, Jessye Melgarejo do Amaral, Ferla, Alcindo Antônio, Hugo, Fernando Neves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc 01-04-2017
• Subjects: Brazil; Comprehensive Dental Care; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health administration; Humans; Oral Health; Original; Poisson Distribution; Preventive Dentistry; Primary Health Care
• ISSN: 0148-9917; 1550-3267
• DOI: 10.1097/JAC.0000000000000186

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between sociodemographic characteristics, health care indicators, work process characteristics, and the performance of preventive dental procedures by oral health care teams (OHCTs) assessed during the first phase of the PMAQ in Brazil. A census of 10 334 primary OHCTs was conducted. The outcome included topical application of fluoride, application of sealants, detection of oral lesions, and monitoring of suspected or confirmed cases of oral cancer. The multilevel Poisson regression model was used to obtain crude and adjusted prevalence ratios. The performance of preventive dental procedures was 29.46% (3044/10 334; 95% confidence interval, 28.57-30.33), which was considered low.