Avaliação da atenção primária à saúde bucal nas regiões de saúde do Ceará sob a perspectiva do cirurgião-dentista

Abstract

Primary Oral Health Care (POHC) integrates the organization of Health Care Networks and requires evaluation processes capable of identifying territorial performance patterns and supporting management decision-making. This study evaluated POHC in the Health Regions of Ceará, Brazil, from the perspective of dentists, based on the theoretical frameworks of Donabedian and Starfield. This is an evaluative study with a quantitative approach and descriptive and comparative analyses. Data were collected in the second half of 2024 through an electronic questionnaire containing the professional version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool – Oral Health (PCATool-SB) and a sociodemographic and occupational questionnaire. A total of 374 valid responses were analyzed (response rate of 88.2%), from dentists working in Oral Health Teams. The essential attributes evaluated were First-contact access (Accessibility), Longitudinality, Coordination, and Comprehensiveness, synthesized in the Essential Score (scale 0–10). The results showed regional heterogeneity and persistent accessibility barriers. It was concluded that POHC in Ceará presents heterogeneous orientation regarding Primary Health Care attributes, indicating the need for regionalized management strategies focused on improving access, care integration, and continuing education.