Oral Care Quality in Brazilian Primary Care

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of oral care provided in Brazilian primary care and identify associated contextual socioeconomic factors. This is a cross-sectional study whose unit of analysis was all the oral care teams that participated in an external assessment for the second cycle of the Access and Quality Improvement Program - Primary Care. Quality was measured in the following dimensions: access, resolution, work process, care coordination and infrastructure. The quality criteria of the external assessment were grouped into these dimensions and weighted using Item Response Theory. The indicator of oral care quality was the result of grouping latent variables. Descriptive analyses were performed by region and association between “Oral Care Quality” and the Municipal Human Development Index (HDI), with 5% significance. Only 25% of the oral care teams were considered good. The infrastructure dimension obtained the best results and care coordination the worst. There was no statistically significant difference between municipalities with high and low HDIs. Quality assessment is vital to ensure the continuous improvement of quality healthcare.

Keywords:
Oral Health; Care Quality Assessment; Primary Care