Organização da saúde bucal em uma região do estado de São Paulo segundo a Avaliação Externa do PMAQ-AB, 2012

Objective: this study aimed to analyze the characteristics of dental health care in a region of the Sao Paulo state, seeking to provide a better visibility of the organizational characteristics for its infrastructure, processes, and perception of its users. Material and Methods: modules I, II, and III of the database concerning to External Evaluation of the first cycle of the Brazilian National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Primary Care, carried out in 2012, were analyzed. Results: the health units of this study operated, mostly, in the morning and afternoon shifts (88%), for 5 days in a week (99%). In the prenatal care, only 35% of the basic attention teams had dental health appointments. Of the teams with “receptiveness” implanted, 58% included participation of few members from the oral health team. A majority of the teams had dental equipment and supplies, and they performed basic oral health procedures (89%), except those for dental prostheses. Only 29% of the interviewed users could manage an appointment with the dental surgeon at the health unit. Conclusion: despite the structural availability, the outcome shows weakness in comprehensive care considering the paucity of multidisciplinary work and the existence of barriers for user access, pointing toward the need to organize the work process and overcome the model directed toward the curative practices.