The implications in terms of dental manpower and costs of applying the Scandinavian system of dental care in Brazil are specified and analysed. Two societies were chosen for study: those of Sweden, in Scandinavia and Santa Catarina, State in southern Brazil. The theoretical analysis of the implications was undertaken on the basis of an estimate of dental and auxiliary manpower required to deal with the high levels of oral disease and needs (caries, teeth needing extraction, periodontal diseases and the need for full dentures) in Santa Catarina. This estimate was undertaken by means of the World Health Organization-Fédération Dentaire Internationale (WHO-FDI) Model "Health Through Oral Health" (1989). The implications in costs, taking the total Swedish expenditure per dentist as a basis, were calculated and applied to the manpower calles for by the WHO-FDI model. The high costs resulting showed that the application of the Swedish model of dental care to Santa Catarina would be unrealistic. The implications in terms of manpower were calculated by applying the manpower ratios considered desirable in Sweden to Santa Catarina. In order to achieve the Swedish dentist: population ratio, Santa Catarina would need 85% more dentists that it had in 1990. Regarding auxiliary personel, the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina would need to train a larg number of new personnel in order to attain the Swedish auxiliary: dentist ratio. In the ligth of the findings of this study, the adoption of the Swedish model of providing dental care by Santa Catarina in terms of costs and manpower is not feasible. Therefore, alternative approaches for the improvement of oral health in Santa Catarina and in the rest to Brazil should be sought. These approaches should take consider political, cultural and socio-economic aspects of Brazilian society into consideration.
Dental health services; Public health dentistry; Dental staff
