Desigualdades regionais nas relações de trabalho e qualificação profissional de cirurgiões-dentistas atuantes na Atenção Básica

This transversal study aimed to compare employment relationships and professional qualification of dentists that work in Primary Care in different geographical regions in Brazil. Data was obtained from the Module VI of the external evaluation of the 2nd Cycle of the Programa Nacional do Acesso e da Qualidade da Atencao Basica - PMAQ-AB (Primary Care Access and Quality National Program). The comparison between regions was carried out using the chi-square test (p<0.05) and descriptive analyses. In the 17,117 Oral Health Teams assessed, most of the dentists were statutory civil servants (44.1%), and among them, most were found in the south region (63.6%), while the lowest number was observed in the southeast (37.8%). Nearly half of these professionals were approved in a public test (49.6%), and the highest number was observed in the south (79.5%), while the lowest number was found in the northeast (40.9%). Regarding their professional qualification, (73.1%) had complementary education, and among them, most were specialized in varied areas other than Collective Health (53.2%), with the highest figures observed in the north (59.3%) and the lowest in the northeast (50.4%). Those specialized in Family Health or Collective/Public Health (26.7% and 18.7%, respectively) were most frequently found in the southeast (38.7% and 21.4%), while the lowest frequency was observed in the north (11.4% and 14.9%, respectively). In all comparisons, the “p” value was (p≤0.001). Therefore, regional inequalities were observed in employment relationships and professional qualification in Brazil, which reinforces the need for public policies that favor the retention and qualification of these professionals.