Use of Oral Health Services in Brazil: Results of the National Health Survey, 2019

Abstract

Historically, within the scope of public policies, oral health has been relegated to the margins of funding and attention priorities, resulting in limited and fragmented access, guided by assistance-oriented and focal actions through campaign strategies. This study aimed to identify the use of oral health services in the past 12 months in Brazil. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2019 PNS database, employing STATA 14 software to analyze the use of dental services in relation to independent variables through Pearson's chi-square test and logistic regression in bivariate and multivariate models. Based on the calculations performed, an estimated 83,624,648 users utilized dental services in the 12 months preceding the survey. The young population showed the highest usage, with 54.9% (95% CI: 53.2-56.7). Users with 11 or more years of education demonstrated a prevalence of 69.7% (95% CI: 68.670.9), with a positive association as the level of education increased. Most consultations were conducted in the private sector (73.9%/95% CI: 72.4-75.4). The Southern region showed the highest prevalence of use in the country. It is concluded that, despite advances in oral health policies within SUS, the expansion and implementation of the eSB, the population does not fully benefit from these services.