Características da utilização de serviços de atenção básica à saúde nas regiões Sul e Nordeste do Brasil: diferenças por modelo de atenção

Brazilian Oral Health Policy: metasynthesis of studies on the Oral Health Network

OBJECTIVE

Analyze the performance of the oriented oral health care network from its implementation, in 2004 to 2020, according to publications on the subject.

METHODS

This is a research with a methodological description of metasynthesis.

RESULTS

The searches resulted in 600 complete publications (586 in the first search and another 14 in the second search), according to the established criteria. 539 articles were excluded: 151 after duplication analysis, 236 after reading the title, 45 by type of publication and 107 after reading the abstract, as they did not fit the research theme. Thus, 61 original publications and another 29 publications in snowball sampling were selected and analyzed, totaling 90 publications. From this selection, we chose to use the model proposed by the Projeto de Avaliações de Desempenho de Sistemas de Saúde (PROADESS - Health Systems Performance Assessment Project). The study will use its guiding principles on the dimension "Health Services Performance".

CONCLUSION

The analyzed set allowed us to identify that the way the Brazilian State organizes and finances oral health care made it possible to expand access and the number of procedures performed, but not the creation of an effective comprehensive care network, after more than a decade of implementation of Brasil Sorridente (Smiling Brazil).

Use of rehabilitation services by persons with disabilities in Brazil: A multivariate analysis from Andersen's behavioral model

BACKGROUND

For many years, discussions about health care for people with disabilities (PwD) in Brazil have not been treated as a priority; however, based on the advances made at the beginning of this century, new policies have been developed with the aim of improving access of these people to health services. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze how individual characteristics and contextual indicators are associated with access to rehabilitation services for PwD in Brazil.

METHODS

A multivariate analysis was performed based on data from the National Health Survey 2013, considering access to rehabilitation services by PwD as the primary outcome and individual and contextual factors selected from Andersen's behavioral model as independent variables. The contextual variables were reduced to two composite indicators (1-primary health care coverage and unfavorable socioeconomic conditions, and 2-economic inequality) from the analysis of the principal components. Poisson regression analysis with robust variance was performed to estimate the prevalence ratio (PR) and the respective 95% confidence interval (95%CI).

RESULTS

Access to rehabilitation services by PwD was more prevalent in people aged 0 to 17 years (PR = 3.28; 95%CI 2.85-3.78), who are illiterate (PR = 1.24; 95%CI 1.09-1.40), whose socioeconomic level is A or B (PR = 1.60; 95%CI 1.35-1.88), who have health insurance (PR = 1.31; 95%CI 1.15-1.49), who have severe limitations (PR = 3.09; 95%CI 2.64-3.62), who live in states with a good offer of Specialized Rehabilitation Centers, both type II (PR = 1.20; CI95% 1.08; 1.33) and type IV (PR = 1.29; CI95% 1.15; 1.44), and who have greater coverage of primary health care, but unfavorable socioeconomic conditions (PR = 1.15; CI95% 1.03-1.28).

CONCLUSION

The results clarify the social inequities that exist regarding access to rehabilitation services for PwD in Brazil and highlight the need to formulate and implement public policies that guarantee the realization of the rights of these people.

Resolution, access, and waiting time for specialties in different models of care

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify the treatment demands coming from primary health care units and, based on that, the demand for referrals to medical specialties in reference services. This study is justified by the scarcity of scientific literature on the subject.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study using secondary data on the treatments and referrals made by the primary health care units, throughout 2014, in a municipality of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The total population treated in 2014 was considered, resulting in 411,177 treatments.

RESULTS

Out of all treatments performed, the percentage of referrals was of 4.42%, showing that 95,58% of the problems did not need to be referred to another service. A number of 8,897 referrals were made, to 6,850 users, who were mostly women (60.74%). The mean of referrals per patient was 1.3 (min. 1 and max. 8), and 1,604 patients (23.5%) were referred at least twice.

CONCLUSIONS

Primary health care services have been responsible for a large number of treatments, whereas the demand for referrals has decreased, suggesting that such services have established themselves as a gateway to the health system and achieved the expected solvability, although the waiting time for some specialties is very long.

[Training in Family Health and its association with work processes of Primary Care Dentistry Teams]

The National Oral Health Policy emphasizes the importance of training in Primary Health Care and adapting the work processes to the new health care model. This study seeks to investigate the association between the training of Dental-Surgeons in Family Health and the work process. It involved a cross-sectional and multicentric study, with 18,114 Oral Health Teams that participated on the National Program to Enhance Access and Quality of Primary Health Care. Data were collected through interviews, using a structured questionnaire. Professionals with post-graduate education in Family Health share their schedule with other Primary Care professionals more frequently (PR: 1.04; CI 95%: 1.03 - 1.06), organize their schedule to offer educational activities in Oral Health more frequently (PR:1.03; CI 95%: 1.02 - 1.04), ensure completion of the treatment of patients more frequently (OR: 1.68; CI 95%: 1.19 - 2.38), conduct more home visits (PR: 1.08; CI 95%: 1.07 - 1.09) and use more protocols for prioritizing actions more frequently (PR: 1.06; CI 95%:1.04 - 1.07). Investment in training in Family Health may be important for better performance in Primary Care Dentistry, thereby leading to changes in the model of Comprehensive Oral Health care.

Análise espacial da qualidade da Atenção Básica em Saúde no Brasil

RESUMO Este artigo teve como objetivo analisar a distribuição espacial das equipes de Atenção Básica em Saúde (ABS) avaliadas pelo Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e Qualidade da Atenção Básica (PMAQ-AB) segundo as categorias de desempenho para certificação no Programa. Realizou-se uma caracterização da distribuição espacial dos municípios mediante a avaliação do PMAQ-AB, bem como a identificação da presença de padrões espaciais a partir de um indicador de correlação espacial para avaliar o grau de influência do espaço para a certificação das equipes de ABS. Observou-se presença de padrões de natureza espacial em relação à qualidade da ABS. Municípios com valor baixo no indicador cujos vizinhos também apresentam nível baixo foram encontrados em boa parte dos estados do Acre, do Amazonas, de Roraima e do Amapá, bem como no Rio de Janeiro e no Espírito Santo. Foram observados clusters de padrão alto-alto em municípios de São Paulo, Minas Gerais e Rio Grande do Sul, com destaque para Santa Catarina. A identificação de padrões espaciais de qualidade da ABS pode representar um recurso valioso para o aperfeiçoamento do PMAQ-AB. Com isso, é possível desenvolver análises que incorporem variáveis com potencial explicativo para os padrões espaciais de qualidade de ABS encontrados em municípios brasileiros.

Qualidade da Atenção Primária à Saúde no Brasil: avanços, desafios e perspectivas

RESUMO O ensaio reúne avanços, problemas e propostas sobre a qualidade da Atenção Básica no Brasil, com ênfase na integralidade do cuidado, expressa na completude das ações de saúde. Estudos sobre acesso e qualidade da Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) evidenciam avanços na ampliação das coberturas da ESF e do acesso da população, na melhoria da estrutura dos serviços, na provisão de médicos e na cobertura de ações de saúde. Persistem problemas de estrutura, com destaque para a disponibilidade de insumos essenciais e de tecnologias de informação e comunicação. A organização e a gestão dos serviços e a prática profissional das equipes padecem de um problema sistêmico de incompletude da oferta de ações e de cuidados de saúde, apesar dos padrões de referência, diretrizes, metas e protocolos. Propõe-se a universalização do modelo de atenção da ESF no Brasil com garantias de aportes na estrutura dos serviços de equipes completas com médicos, enfermeiros, dentistas, técnicos de enfermagem e Agentes Comunitários de Saúde com dedicação integral. Programas de educação permanente, institucionalização de práticas de monitoramento e avaliação em equipes locais e a realização de 'mutirões de qualidade' estimulam a melhoria sistêmica da qualidade da ESF no Brasil, contribuindo para a redução das desigualdades em saúde.

Primary Health Care as a guide for assistance to infants at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders

Purpose Characterize infants at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders according to sociodemographic and health profiles and describe their monitoring in Basic Health Units (UBS) under different management models. Methods Data were collected from medical records of infants at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in the west region of the city of Sao Paulo from August 2013 to February 2014 (phase 1 - characterization; phase 2 - monitoring). Results Of the 225 individuals assessed in the first phase of the study, 51.1% were female and 7.11% were twins. Adolescent (45.2%), brown (50.56%), single (46.09%), complete primary education (47.60%) mothers were predominant. The mean number of prenatal visits was 7.12. Most mothers had vaginal delivery (62.22%) at mean gestational age of 37.05 weeks. Mean Apgar scores at the 1st and 5th minutes were 7.13 and 8.80, respectively. Mean weight at birth was 2597.21g., with 50.22% of newborns weighting ≤2500g. In its second phase, the study describes and compares the follow-up of 55 infants according to the UBS management model: 28 in UBS/"Estratégia Saúde da Família" (UBS/ESF) and 27 in traditional UBS (UBS/T). UBS/ESF presented higher mean of consultations (p=0.006). Longer interval between consultations was observed at UBS/T. No records of development milestones were found in 56% of the sample. Growth measures were better registered at UBS/ESF. In both management models, the number of consultations was smaller and the interval between them was shorter than those recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Conclusion According to the recommended guidelines of the "Rede Cegonha" public policy, gaps in the monitoring of infants at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders are still observed.

The Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program, the infrastructure of Primary Health Units and the Municipal Human Development Index

The main objective of this article was to examine the context in which professionals working within the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program operate. This study used the infrastructure scale of primary health units (PHUs), which was recently developed by Soares Neto and colleagues to provide more information regarding the relationship between the infrastructure of PHUs and the Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI) of municipalities that received Mais Médicos Program doctors. Using exploratory and inferential statistics, the article shows that 65.2% of the PHUs that received Mais Médicos Program doctors had medium-quality infrastructure and only 5.8% of them had low-quality infrastructure. The correlation of 0.50 between the infrastructure indicator and the MHDI points to a moderate tendency for municipalities with low MHDIs to have more precarious PHUs. Using multiple linear regression analysis it can be inferred that the main factor that contributed to the increase in the infrastructure indicator of the PHUs was the average municipal income. On the other hand, the factor that negatively affected the infrastructure of the PHUs was being located in the north or northeast regions.

Acessibilidade às Unidades Básicas de Saúde da Família na perspectiva de idosos

Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar a acessibilidade às Unidades Básicas de Saúde da Família na perspectiva dos idosos em um município do Nordeste brasileiro. Foram coletadas informações socioeconômicas e demográficas dos idosos e sua avaliação acerca da acessibilidade (organizacional, sociocultural e econômica) aos serviços oferecidos pela Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF). Utilizou-se instrumento validado para avaliar a ESF pelos usuários em municípios paraibanos, o qual foi adaptado à população de idosos. Foi analisada a associação das variáveis socioeconômicas e demográficas com a avaliação da acessibilidade. Para a acessibilidade organizacional, idosos das classes econômicas inferiores apresentaram maior chance de emitir avaliação positiva aos horários de atendimento, e menor chance de avaliação positiva em relação à quantidade de atendimentos por dia e à facilidade em receber medicamentos. As mulheres apresentaram maior chance de avaliar positivamente a consulta com especialistas (acessibilidade econômica). A avaliação dos idosos mostra a existência de barreiras, principalmente na acessibilidade organizacional, que ainda persistem para a procura e a utilização dos serviços.

Diabetes Care in Brazil: Program to Improve Primary Care Access and Quality-PMAQ

This article describes the primary health care offered to 8118 service users with diabetes in Brazil based on data from the PMAQ (Program to Improve Primary Care Access and Quality) first survey. Structure, access, service organization and management, and clinical care quality were analyzed. Prevalence of self-reported receipt of appropriate treatment was 14.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 13.4-15.2). Following adjustment, it was 26% higher (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.04-1.54) when primary health care centers had all the structure items investigated, it was 13% higher (PR = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.00-1.29) when the teams' work process for service organization and management was adequate and it was 14% higher (PR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.00-1.30) when the teams' clinical practice was adequate.

The utility of the records medical: factors associated with the medication errors in chronic disease

OBJECTIVE

This study describes the development of the medication history of the medical records to measure factors associated with medication errors among chronic diseases patients in Diamantina, Minas Gerais.

METHODS

retrospective, descriptive observational study of secondary data, through the review of medical records of hypertensive and diabetic patients, from March to October 2016.

RESULTS

The patients the mean age of patient was 62.1 ± 14.3 years. The number of basic nursing care (95.5%) prevailed and physician consultations were 82.6%. Polypharmacy was recorded in 54% of sample, and review of the medication lists by a pharmacist revealed that 67.0% drug included at least one risk. The most common risks were: drug-drug interaction (57.8%), renal risk (29.8%), risk of falling (12.9%) and duplicate therapies (11.9%). Factors associated with medications errors history were chronic diseases and polypharmacy, that persisted in multivariate analysis, with adjusted RP chronic diseases, diabetes RP 1.55 (95%IC 1.04-1.94), diabetes/hypertension RP 1.6 (95%CI 1.09-1.23) and polypharmacy RP 1.61 (95%IC 1.41-1.85), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Medication errors are known to compromise patient safety. This has led to the suggestion that medication reconciliation an entry point into the systems health, ongoing care coordination and a person focused approach for people and their families.

Implementation research: towards universal health coverage with more doctors in Brazil

Objective

To evaluate the implementation of a programme to provide primary care physicians for remote and deprived populations in Brazil.

Methods

The Mais Médicos (More Doctors) programme was launched in July 2013 with public calls to recruit physicians for priority areas. Other strategies were to increase primary care infrastructure investments and to provide more places at medical schools. We conducted a quasi-experimental, before-and-after evaluation of the implementation of the programme in 1708 municipalities with populations living in extreme poverty and in remote border areas. We compared physician density, primary care coverage and avoidable hospitalizations in municipalities enrolled (n = 1450) and not enrolled (n = 258) in the programme. Data extracted from health information systems and Ministry of Health publications were analysed.

Findings

By September 2015, 4917 physicians had been added to the 16 524 physicians already in place in municipalities with remote and deprived populations. The number of municipalities with ≥ 1.0 physician per 1000 inhabitants doubled from 163 in 2013 to 348 in 2015. Primary care coverage in enrolled municipalities (based on 3000 inhabitants per primary care team) increased from 77.9% in 2012 to 86.3% in 2015. Avoidable hospitalizations in enrolled municipalities decreased from 44.9% in 2012 to 41.2% in 2015, but remained unchanged in control municipalities. We also documented higher infrastructure investments in enrolled municipalities and an increase in the number of medical school places over the study period.

Conclusion

Other countries having shortages of physicians could benefit from the lessons of Brazil’s programme towards achieving universal right to health.

Mais Medicos Program: an effective action to reduce health inequities in Brazil

The Program More Doctors (Programa Mais Médicos) aims to decrease the shortage of physicians and reduce the regional health disparities and involves three main strategies: i) more places and new Medical Courses based on the revised Curriculum Guidelines; ii) investments in the (re)construction of Primary Healthcare Units; iii) provision of Brazilian and foreign medical doctors. Until July 2014, the Program made the provision of 14,462 physicians to 3,785 municipalities with vulnerable areas. Evidence indicates a 53% reduction in the number of municipalities with physicians' shortage; in the North, 91% of the municipalities with physicians' shortage have been provisioned, with almost five physicians per municipality, on average. The professionals' integration in the Family Health Teams has strengthened and expanded the capacity of intervention, particularly in the context of adopting a healthcare model that encompasses different demands of health promotion, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders, to face the challenge of the double burden of disease. The population is affected by obesity and non-communicable chronic diseases, alongside with infection, parasitic diseases and malnutrition remaining. The people of cities, rural areas and forests want more doctors, health perspectives and more social justice.

Utilização de plantas medicinais como remédio caseiro na Atenção Primária em Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brasil

Resumo Na última década foi observado um aumento no uso de práticas terapêuticas alternativas apoiadas por políticas no âmbito do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), em particular o uso de plantas medicinais e de fitoterápicos. Este estudo investigou o uso de remédios caseiros pelos usuários da Atenção Primária da Saúde do município de Blumenau, em Santa Catarina. Estudo epidemiológico observacional seccional, cujos dados foram obtidos através de questionário aplicado a 701 indivíduos. Utilizou-se um modelo de regressão logística não condicional para estimar a associação entre uso de remédios caseiros e variáveis sociodemográficas e médicoassistenciais. Observou-se que 21,9% dos entrevistados utilizaram remédios caseiros, sendo as plantas medicinais obtidas no quintal das casas a principal escolha. Como as mais citadas destacaram-se erva-cidreira, camomila, hortelã e limão. O uso de remédios caseiros se mostrou associado ao sexo feminino, à idade mais avançada e à modalidade de serviço, Estratégia Saúde da Família. Os resultados mostraram que as plantas medicinais são utilizadas como alternativa terapêutica. Entretanto, é necessário que os serviços de atenção primária garantam o acesso aos produtos naturais, bem como profissionais qualificados capazes de fornecer orientações sobre sua utilização.

Prevalência e fatores associados à utilização de serviços públicos de saúde por homens adultos

Resumo O objetivo do estudo foi identificar a prevalência e os fatores associados à utilização de serviços públicos de saúde por homens adultos residentes no município de Maringá-Paraná. Inquérito domiciliar realizado junto a 410 homens de 20 a 59 anos. A análise foi realizada mediante estatística descritiva e modelos de regressão logística múltipla. A prevalência de utilização de serviços públicos foi de 56,3%. Os homens que mais utilizaram serviços públicos de saúde foram aqueles com baixa escolaridade, sem plano de saúde, sem companheira, desempregados e que tiveram mais contato com enfermeiros e outros profissionais, que procuraram os serviços por doença/sintomas/ urgências, enfrentaram dificuldades no atendimento, classificaram o serviço de saúde como regular e elegeram a atenção e a prontidão como os aspectos mais importantes do atendimento em saúde, ajustados pela renda familiar, classe econômica e necessidade de tratamento. A atenção à saúde do homem deve ser reorganizada conforme os fatores associados à utilização dos serviços de saúde por eles, promovendo-se a aproximação e a centralização da assistência nos usuários, ampliando-se a participação masculina em práticas promocionais e preventivas.

Potential access to primary health care: what does the National Program for Access and Quality Improvement data show?

OBJECTIVE

to analyze the influence of contextual indicators on the performance of municipalities regarding potential access to primary health care in Brazil and to discuss the contribution from nurses working on this access.

METHOD

a multicenter descriptive study based on secondary data from External Evaluation of the National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Care, with the participation of 17,202 primary care teams. The chi-square test of proportions was used to verify differences between the municipalities stratified based on size of the coverage area, supply, coordination, and integration; when necessary, the chi-square test with Yates correction or Fisher's exact test were employed. For the population variable, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used.

RESULTS

the majority of participants were nurses (n=15.876; 92,3%). Statistically significant differences were observed between the municipalities in terms of territory (p=0.0000), availability (p=0.0000), coordination of care (p=0.0000), integration (p=0.0000) and supply (p=0.0000), verifying that the municipalities that make up area 6 tend to have better performance in these dimensions.

CONCLUSION

areas 4,5 and 6 performed better in every analyzed dimension, and the nurse had a leading role in the potential to access primary health care in Brazil.

Risk of developing diabetes mellitus in primary care health users: a cross-sectional study

Objective: to identify the risk of developing diabetes mellitus among primary care users in a municipality of the Southern Brazil. Method: data were collected from October 2013 to April 2014 by applying the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score questionnaire on 189 users. Results: the majority of the interviewees presented a slight moderate to moderate risk of developing diabetes mellitus (63.5%). There was a greater prevalence of high risk among the men. The variables with a significant prevalence ratio for high risk were age, obesity, abdominal circumference, sedentarism and family history of diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: the identified risk factors for diabetes reveal the importance of the health team and how it can intervene to prevent disease.

A equidade na cobertura da Estratégia Saúde da Família em Minas Gerais, Brasil

A Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) tem papel relevante na prevenção e no acompanhamento das famílias no Sistema Único de Saúde. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar a equidade na cobertura desses serviços ofertados na área urbana de Minas Gerais, Brasil. A pesquisa analisa diversos marcadores considerando quatro grupos-alvo: mulheres, gestantes, crianças e idosos, sendo representativa por macrorregião de saúde. Foram investigados em 2012, 6.797 domicílios, sendo entrevistados 5.820 mulheres, 1.758 crianças e 3.629 idosos. Para analisar a equidade, foram construídas taxas de cobertura da ESF por classe de riqueza e estimados índices e curvas de concentração. Os resultados revelam que a ESF é uma política equitativa. Os indicadores mostram que os domicílios mais pobres apresentam maiores taxas de visitação da ESF. Considerando a população residente nas áreas adscritas às equipes de saúde, o nível de cobertura é bastante elevado: 88% da população investigada receberam pelo menos uma visita dos profissionais da ESF nos últimos 12 meses, o que resulta em índices de concentração perto de zero.

Perfil de utilização de serviços de saúde por crianças de zona urbana no Brasil: estudo transversal de base nacional

Objetivos: descrever o perfil de utilização de serviços de saúde em crianças brasileiras menores de cinco anos. Métodos: estudo seccional de base populacional realizado em 2009, com crianças residentes em 100 municípios de cinco regiões brasileiras. Investigou-se o uso dos seguintes tipos de atendimento de saúde: domiciliar e médico ambulatorial - últimos três meses - e de urgência e internação hospitalar - últimos doze meses. As variáveis independentes foram: sexo, idade, classificação econômica familiar, escolaridade materna, família beneficiada pelo Programa Bolsa Família, ter apresentado problema agudo de saúde, estado nutricional, porte do município e região. Análises brutas e ajustadas para associação entre a utilização de serviços de saúde e classe econômica foram realizadas por meio de regressão de Poisson com ajuste robusto da variância. Resultados: das 6360 crianças, 3422 (54%) foram atendidas por médico, 506 (8%) receberam atendimento domiciliar, 2144 (34%) foram atendidas em serviços de urgência/emergência e 681 (11%) foram hospitalizadas. Crianças das classes A/B consultaram mais com o médico, tiveram menos atendimento domiciliar, usaram mais serviços de urgência do que crianças das classes C e D/E. Não houve diferença na hospitalização segundo classe econômica. Conclusões: os achados destacam importantes desigualdades no uso de serviços de saúde por crianças brasileiras.

[Analysis of demand for family medical care in Brazil using the International Classification of Primary Care]

In various countries, motives for contact of patients with Primary Health Care (PHC) is classified by the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2). This instrument enables the assessment of why people seek care, thereby assisting in planning strategies to attend the population's health needs. The scope of this study was to identify the main reasons for same-day appointments in PHC units of a medium-sized Brazilian city. The methodology used was to examine all records of a typical month of three family practice residents. Data were extracted from a secondary database of same-day appointments during the spring of 2010, classified with ICPC and then statistically analyzed. 1222 records were considered; 32 motives accounted for 50% of contacts. Most common motives were related to the General and Unspecific chapter of the ICPC. About 20% of visits occurred for administrative reasons. Female sex and greater age were determinants of greater motives for consultation. Knowing the motives for appointments by gender and age may help PHC teams in tackling health problems at the critical point of access to PHC.

[Characteristics of the access and utilization of public dental services in medium-sized cities]

This cross-sectional study sought to describe the main characteristics of access and utilization of primary and specialized public dental services in two medium-sized cities in Bahia with 100% coverage of the Family Health Program. A survey of 952 households and 2.539 individuals aged over 15 years was conducted. The main variables analyzed were: perceived oral health needs, demand for the service, barriers of organizational access and the type of service and procedure utilized. The use of specialized public dental services was of 11.7% and primary care was 26%. In the city where there was greater use of public dental services, there was less use of private services. The main barrier to access remained in primary care (from 5.0% to 15.2%). There was little interface between secondary care a primary care, as only 16.6% of users returned to this level of care. In conclusion, the main barrier to access in cities with specific organizational and geographic realities appears to be in primary dental care. Individual preventive actions were little reported. It is recommended that barriers to access in primary care be eliminated, and also that a protocol (clinical guides) be established to foster the continuity and longitudinality of primary dental care.