A contribuição dos cirurgiões-dentistas para a prevenção e tratamento da cárie em adolescentes nas capitais brasileiras.

Abstract

This thesis comprises three ecological studies including the 27 state capitals. These three studies were as follows: 1- The association between the availability of dentists and the amount of dental procedures in public dental services; 2- The association between the availability of dentists and the proportion of filled teeth (in relation to total teeth attacked by caries) in subjects 15-19 years; 3- The combination of the availability of dentists with the prevalence and severity of dental caries in individuals 15-19 years. The three investigations are presented in the form of articles. Many banks side, available freely on the internet data were used. In the first study association was found in the number of oral health teams of the Family Health Program (ESB) and dentists in the NHS in general with the number of dental procedures in the public service; ESB as more and more dentists dental procedures, both preventive as restorers. "Most dentists" in public dental services meant more collective and preventive procedures, but a relatively small number of the most restorations. Worryingly the relatively small amount of restorations performed by dentists of the public service in Brazil on the number of teeth with untreated caries, identified by a national survey of oral health. The second study revealed that the number of dentists in the Brazilian capital is very large and, therefore, there is capacity to meet all the needs of restorative treatments. However, the rate of dental care for young people aged 15 to 19 years revealed that less than half of the teeth attacked by caries had received proper care, for example, were restored. This study concluded that the large investment in Brazilian society in dentistry, whether in the public or private sector, is not having the expected return, at least for young people 15-19 years. The third study found that larger socioeconomic factors and fluoride in the water was the major determinant of variation in the prevalence and severity of dental caries in young people 15-19 years and that the contribution of the dentist was relatively small. Given the relatively small role of dental caries prevention, clinical effort it should therefore emphasize more complex treatments, aimed at the restoration and rehabilitation of significant damage to the function and well-being ("Personal Health Service"). Effective efforts to prevent tooth decay occur primarily in population-based prevention strategies ("no Personal Health Service"), with a relatively small contribution of clinical work.