Abstract
Brazil has a National Public Health System (SUS) which offers dental care to citizens. To assess dental care in SUS, the aim of the present study was to record service users perceptions.
Methods: A 2013 cross-sectional study based on data from 37,262 users (aged 18 years or more) of oral health services at primary care centers across Brazil. Public Health Centers participated in the survey under free will. At the participating centers, interviewers followed a random sample (refusal rate 20%) based in the waiting room. Each interviewer aimed to reach at least 4 users interviewed during the 5-hours-shift in the waiting room. The subject were interviewed by means of a national questionnaire from the National Primary Care Assessment Tool (PMAQ). Variables used in this descriptive study were qualified listening, resolution of problems, advice on oral health care, seen by the same dentist. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to calculate prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals of. The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul ethics committee approved the study.
Results: 26,514 (71.1%) were female. Only 16346(56%) reported that the public dental service gave advice that solved their problems. Only 21706(58.2%) said that they were listened too when attended by the dentist. More positively, 27340(73.4%) reported they saw the same dentist over time. 7164(19.2%) reported that when they discontinued treatment the service contacted them to finish treatment.
Conclusions: The users perspective of the Brazilian Public health system reveals one far from a European primary health care system. Many improvements could be done in the Brazil public dental service. Seeing the same dentist over time and a good quality in the general assistance showed that efforts have being done to give SUS-users a good quality of oral health treatment in Primary Care.
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