ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to understand the oral health care of people with orofacial cleft and their expressions. This research had the history of life as a methodological resource. It was analyzed the narratives of four women aged between 19 and 28 years, living in the urban area of a Brazilian northeast municipality. Four meetings were structured, recorded and transcribed, in which we experienced the construction of an identity and formation of a bond, rescue of social and community support networks, paths taken in health services and perception on services. The analysis of the data was inspired by the hermeneutic approach of P. Ricoeur. Four sense units were identified: Be a person with orofacial cleft?; Health care network; Oral health care flows for people with orofacial clefts and their expressions; and, Perception about health services. It was concluded that there is a fragmented oral health care network, with poor communication, articulation and integration of health services, low involvement and appropriation of cases by primary care teams, with important repercussions of social stigmas on the patient. Thus, strategies for improving relations, as well as articulation and integration among services should be developed in an attempt to overcome such problems.
KEYWORDS
Health Services Accessibility; Oral Health; Cleft lip; Cleft palate; Qualitative research
