Perfil da atenção odontológica de um município de grande porte do Brasil

Abstract

The health policy in Brazil, consolidated by the Brazilian Health System SUS, represents a large-scale movement of social reform and inclusion and aimed at the integrality of health care, the universality and the increase in equity. There is a high prevalence of oral health diseases in Brazil, the distribution of which is unequal in different regions. Surveys to evaluate the association between primary oral health care indicators and municipal social and economic conditions are important for the formulation of health policies geared to reducing inequalities in health. Ecological studies evaluating the health service in a city large, socially diverse, can contribute to service planning and directing additional resources for population groups who have higher health needs. The purpose of this survey was to assess the hypothesis that the profile of dental care provided by HC is associated with socio-demographic, epidemiological, and health assistance variables and referrals to other levels of care and the organization of services. A transversal ecological survey was conducted using data provided by the information system of the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, for the year 2010. The health centers were grouped into three clusters according to similarity of variables (access to individual dental treatment, proportion of dental emergencies, and proportion of individual preventive procedures) that defined the profile of access and clinical procedures. The clusters were compared with the independent variables using ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test, considering a significance level of 5%. Socio-demographic variables such as proportion of adolescents (p=0.03) and high/very high vulnerability of population (p=0.02), epidemiological oral health indicators (p=0.04) and referral of users to other levels of care (p=0.01) registered a statistical difference among the clusters. The results of the survey have implications on the evaluation of health services and for the planning of more inclusive public policies.