[Reference and counter-reference in oral health: regulation of access to specialized dental care centers]

Dental care for persons with disabilities: discretion on the frontline

OBJECTIVE

To depict the influence of discretionary actions exercised by frontline professionals and organizations on the implementation of diverse modalities of access to specialized dental care within the Care Network for Persons with Disabilities.

METHODS

A case study conducted in two Brazilian health regions characterized by distinct means of access to specialized dental care employing documentary analysis and interviews with key stakeholders across the period spanning from July to December 2019.

RESULTS

In the referenced access region, there was a notable centrality of Primary Health Care (PHC) in caregiving, wherein planning and assessment were integral components of institutional routines. Where spontaneous demand scheduling was accepted, sporadic exchanges of information were evident between PHC units and specialized facilities. The coordination role in caregiving was not vested in PHC teams, and activities such as planning and assessment were not assimilated into organizational routines.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of policies for specialized dental care for persons with disabilities relied on the coordination furnished by PHC and the orchestration of planning and assessment endeavors aimed at establishing an integrated care network. This implementation proved subject to the discretionary authority of frontline professionals and organizations, highlighting the significant role of relational and institutional environments in the context of public policy implementation within a decentralized and regionalized healthcare system.

Regulation of dental consultations in primary health care and performance of services in dental speciality centers

OBJECTIVE

This study analyzed the regulation of dental specialty centers (CEOs) coordinated exclusively by Primary Health Care (PHC) in four primary outcomes: access and dental consultation, reception services, bonding and responsibility, and social participation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out using secondary data from the National Program for the Improvement of Access and Quality of Dental Specialty Centers (PMAQ-CEO): second cycle, using multilevel logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and individual covariates.

RESULTS

The analytical sample consisted of 9,599 CEO users who had completed all the variables analyzed. Of these, 63.5% were referred to the CEO by PHC. Dental care regulated by PHC was related to better access (OR 1.36, CI 95% 1.10-1.68), better reception (OR 1.33, CI 95% 1.03-1.71), better bonding and responsibility (OR 1.36, CI 95% 0.91-2.04), and social participation (OR 1.13, CI 95% 0.93-1.35) compared to those not regulated by primary health care as the exclusive pathway.

CONCLUSION

The regulation of access to the CEO coordinated by PHC presented the best performance. It is suggested that this form of PHC regulation, as a route for dental specialty centers, can be established in the national oral health care policy for better service performance.

Factors associated with the waiting time for access to specialized oral healthcare services in Brazil

OBJECTIVES

To explore the factors associated with the waiting time for access to specialized care at Dental Specialties Centers (CEO, in Portuguese), by specialty (Stomatology, Surgery, Endodontics, Patients with Special Needs and Periodontology).

METHODS

The study was a descriptive and analytic exploratory secondary analysis of data from the 2nd phase of the National Program for Improving the Access to and Quality of CEO (PMAQ-CEO, in Portuguese). All 1097 CEO in Brazil were evaluated in loco in 2018. Binary logistic regression was used to analyse the likelihood of users having a shorter time for assistance at CEO, by specialty.

RESULTS

The highest and lowest median waiting times were found for endodontics (30 days) and stomatology (5 days), respectively. Smaller centres (type I CEO) had a shorter waiting list for patients with special needs (95%CI: 1.20-3.37), Endodontics (95%CI: 1.03-3.02) and Surgery (95%CI: 1.04-3.05). As for the specialties with the longest waiting list (Endodontics and Surgery), the direct route of user access to CEO was more effective than that regulated by the Healthcare System.

CONCLUSIONS

Factors related to the service, management, and to the form of relationship with primary health care influenced the waiting time for specialized care in CEO. The contact between professionals in the oral health network (primary care and secondary) was associated with a shorter waiting time, regardless of the specialty.

Evaluation of secondary care in endodontics at a Dental Specialties Center (DSC)

This study aimed to evaluate secondary endodontic care at a Dental Specialties Center (DSC) in Belo Horizonte, MG. Data collection used two forms: (1) on endodontic treatment, completed by the endodontists (2) on the restorative treatment, with data from the medical records. The SPSS 22.0 program was used to analyze the results using frequency and percentiles. In total, 452 endodontic procedures were completed in adult patients. The patients had a median of 39 years of age, most were female (69.7%) and had a primary care referral order (96.2%). Most endodontic treatments were performed in upper premolars (23.7%) followed by lower molars (22.3%), using a mixed technique (74.1%) and in a single session (64.2%). The referral for restorative treatment was for the DSC in 81.2% of cases and finished in 24.1% (n = 109). The counter-referral following restorative treatment occurred in 58.7% of the completed cases. It is necessary to jointly plan the dental treatment between primary and secondary care and, within the latter, among the specialties, in addition to an adequate referral and counter-referral process aimed at ensuring comprehensive care and efficient and effective service.

Avaliação normativa dos Centros de Especialidades Odontológicas, Brasil, 2014

RESUMO Objetivou-se avaliar os Centros de Especialidades Odontológicas (CEO) do Brasil credenciados até o ano de 2014. Trata-se de avaliação do tipo normativa, quantitativa, baseada em indicadores e parâmetros orientados pela construção de um modelo avaliativo. Os CEO do Brasil foram julgados como bom, regular ou ruim. A maioria dos CEO do Brasil (68,1%) foi classificada como regular. Na dimensão estrutural, 78,1% dos CEO foram classificados como bom; na organizacional, 64,6% como regular; e na de produtividade, 48,2% como ruim. Houve associação significativa entre o julgamento final dos CEO e a localização geográfica e o porte populacional dos municípios. A avaliação evidenciou o não cumprimento de diversos indicadores normativos, demonstrando que não estão atendendo plenamente às normas preconizadas.

Redesenhando caminhos na direção da clínica ampliada de saúde bucal

Resumo O trabalho analisa a experiência da clínica ampliada de saúde bucal em uma Unidade Básica de Saúde (UBS) do município de São Paulo. O estudo é de abordagem qualitativa, do tipo pesquisa-ação, em que cirurgiãs-dentistas e estagiários de odontologia experienciaram a clínica ampliada de saúde bucal, realizando registros sobre suas práticas em diários de pesquisa e construindo, em conjunto com os usuários, projetos terapêuticos singularizados. Foram analisados três diários de pesquisa e 52 casos clínicos e seus respectivos projetos terapêuticos singularizados, elaborados entre os anos de 2014 e 2015. O material foi tratado por análise de conteúdo temática, com as seguintes categorias: procedimentos odontológicos realizados na atenção primária à saúde; referência e contrarreferência; divisão do trabalho; anamnese e satisfação do usuário. A análise indicou que novos processos de trabalho estimulam os usuários a expor suas demandas de saúde e que projetos terapêuticos singularizados são fundamentais para a produção do cuidado, o que gera satisfação e resolubilidade. As principais limitações encontradas foram: pouco apoio da rede especializada, escassez de pessoal auxiliar, não acesso ao prontuário único e dificuldade em ressignificar as narrativas para além dos achados bucais. Torna-se essencial o desenvolvimento de estudos relacionados a novos fazeres em saúde bucal em outras realidades.

Cumprimento de metas dos Centros de Especialidades Odontológicas da Região Sul do Brasil

Objetivo El objetivo del estudio fue verificar: el cumplimento de las metas de tratamientos en las clínicas dentales especializadas (CDEs) en la Región Sur de Brasil y, los factores asociados a los procesos de trabajo.Método El estudio fue exploratorio transversal. Para la recolección de datos fueron consultadas las bases del datos provenientes de  DATA/SUS, CNES, SIOSP, IBGE y fue enviado un cuestionario semiestructurado para los gestores de las CDEs. Para comprobar  la asociación de los factores con el cumplimento de las metas de las CDEs se realizó el test de Kruskal Wallis.Resultados Fueron analizados 936 meses de tratamiento ambulatorio distribuidos en las 78 CDEs y la tasa de respuestas de los cuestionarios fue de 68%. Las variables: estado de Paraná, municipios con número de ciudadanos de 0-50 mil/hab, el cuarto quintil de los gastos totales en salud y PIB per cápita fueron asociados con el cumplimento de las metas de los procedimientos de periodoncia y, el tipo II de CDE presentó asociación con el cumplimento de las metas de los procedimientos básicos.Discusión El análisis de las variables que pueden estar asociadas al tratamiento ambulatorio en las CDEs es fundamental para comprobar tanto los problemas de acceso de los habitantes como la aplicabilidad de los recursos públicos en el área de la salud.Conclusiones El estudio indica un bajo cumplimento de las metas de tratamiento de las CDEs, entretanto apunta que pueden haber factores importantes asociados al mayor número de meses en las metas cumplidas.

Regulação em saúde e promoção da equidade: o Sistema Nacional de Regulação e o acesso à assistência em um município de grande porte

RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi evidenciar a interface entre o serviço de regulação em saúde municipal e a efetivação prática do princípio da equidade, a partir da vivência dos profissionais envolvidos nesse setor. A metodologia foi o estudo de caso, com técnicas de grupo focal, observação participante e análise documental, no período de setembro a novembro de 2013. Foram evidenciados os desafios da regulação em saúde para efetivação do princípio da equidade. O Sistema Nacional de Regulação foi identificado como ferramenta para gerenciamento da oferta e da demanda. Assim, a influência da regulação sobre a oferta e a disposição dos serviços tem o potencial de garantir o acesso aos usuários e promover a equidade.

Accessibility to Specialized Public Oral Health Services from the Perspective of Brazilian Users

The Specialized Dental Clinics (SDCs) represent the first government initiative in Latin America aimed at providing specialized oral health services. This study sought to evaluate the organizational accessibility to specialized oral health care services in Brazil and to understand the factors that may be associated with accessibility from the user’s perspective. This epidemiological, cross-sectional and quantitative study was conducted by means of interviews with individuals who sought specialized public oral health services in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, and consisted of a sample of 590 individuals. Users expressed a favorable view of the classification and resolutive nature of specialized services offered by Brazilian public health. The binary logistic regression analysis revealed weak points highlighting the difficulty involved in obtaining such treatments leading to unfavorable evaluations. In the resolutive nature item, difficulty in accessing the location, queues and lack of materials and equipment were highlighted as statistically significant unfavorable aspects. While many of the users considered the service to be resolutive, weaknesses were mentioned that need to be detected to promote improvements and to prevent other health models adopted worldwide from reproducing the same flaws.