Políticas de salud bucal en Colombia. Tendencias y puntos críticos para la garantía del derecho a la salud

Background: In Colombia, oral health was incorporated as content of care in the health system, starting with Law 100 of 1993. This change modified the liberal form of professional practice that prevailed since the origin of the dental profession in the country. Purpose: characterize and critically analyze oral health policies in Colombia in the period 1994-2017, with respect to universality, integrality and equity. Policy analysis: A descriptive review was carried out that included standards, technical documents, scientific and opinion articles. A historical hermeneutic approach and a critical reading were used to interpret the policies, classified in relation to individual attention, public health, and professional training and practice. Conclusions: The contents of dental care in the health system include a broad set of procedures and technologies; however, coverage of care is low, and investment is insufficient to guarantee universality. We identified policies related to preventive population measures, epidemiological surveillance, the development of population studies, the implementation of collective actions in everyday life environments and, more recently, the formulation of territorial public policies; however, these policies do not have a clear articulation with each other, and of these with the processes of individual attention. The policies related to the training and work practice of dentistry are market oriented, with a weak regulatory capacity of the State. The development of public policies in oral health is incipient and disarticulated. A greater boost to research in this field is necessary.