INTRODUCTION: The Family Health Strategy establishes an area of health promotion practices and uses technologies of high complexity and low density to improve the oral health status of the population. The Atraumatic Restorative Treatment is a technique for controlling dental caries removing the infected dentin and use of safe and effective materials suitable for the public service. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the perception and practice of dentist surgeons included in the Family Health Strategy about the Atraumatic Restorative Treatment. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This is a descriptive study of quantitative and qualitative character performed by a questionnaire, self-administered and pretested. There were thirty-two participating dentist surgeons of Oral Health teams of a medium-sized city in southern Brazil in 2011. RESULT: All dentists revealed to know the technique and 84% use in their daily clinical practice, and 62% do it in the clinical environment of public service and 22% use both in public and private practice. For only 12.5%, the indication of the technique is definitive. For most of them, the technique is a good alternative treatment to be used in the Family Health Strategy. Concerning the effectiveness 87.5% believe in the technique and 40.6% had total success with the treatment. A small portion indicated correctly its use in clinical situations. CONCLUSION: The Atraumatic Restorative Treatment needs to be enhanced and widespread among dentist surgeons for the benefit of the oral health of the Brazilian population.
Dental caries; dentists; primary health care