Situation of Endodontics in the Public Health Service in Brazil through the Access and Quality Improvement Program (PMAQ-CEO)

Objective: To describe and analyze the situation of endodontics in the Brazilian public service. Material and Methods: Data from questions about endodontics were divided by states and regions and organized in spreadsheets for descriptive statistical analysis, with absolute and relative data. Results: It was found that the northern region of Brazil concentrates the smaller number of services (6.4%). Pre-established protocols with basic attention to the endodontics specialty are applied in 73.3% of CEOs. Overall, 24% of services use rotating instruments and 38% use apical locators; 87.4% perform endodontic treatment in teeth with 3 or more roots. In these centers, 75.7% of dentists who perform endodontics are specialists, masters or PhD in dentistry. Endodontics has the highest absenteeism rate and the longer waiting time to initiate treatment compared to the other basic specialties. Conclusion: The endodontics situation of the resulting PMAQ-CEO revealed that the specialty is the most requested, but services lack more effective management mechanisms to minimize the observed absenteeism problem by reducing existing waiting lines. The situation also revealed that endodontics services at CEOs are provided by specialists, almost half of the services perform single session treatment on vital pulp teeth and that the same proportion of CEOs use apical locators and / or rotating instruments to perform endodontic treatment. Investments in the installed capacity, permanent management and education are still needed to improve the quality of services provided to the population.

Theoretical and Methodological Aspects of the External Evaluation of the Improvement, Access and Quality of Centers for Dental Specialties Program

Objective: To introduce the main theoretical and methodological aspects of the external evaluation of the 1st cycle National Program for Quality Evaluation (AEPMAQ/ CEO). Material and Methods: This is an evaluative and quantitative research carried out in all Centers for Dental Specialties - CEO of Brazil, and macro-geographical regions were taken into account for analysis. The general AE-PMAQ/CEO coordination was from the Collaborative Centre for Oral Health Surveillance of the Ministry of Health - Federal University of Pernambuco and Department for Primary Health Care of the Ministry of Health. A collaborative network was established to offer a scientific and technical support for the Project among different higher education institutions around the country, state oral health coordination and quality researchers of AE-PMAQ/CEO. Data collection was carried out through interviews with managers, dentists and users. In addition, researchers used an observation template to check for infrastructure and a questionnaire to register previously discussed quality standards. Conclusion: The external evaluation of the 1st cycle National Program for Quality Evaluation offered data to demonstrate and give recognition to CEO services and municipalities' managers to assure quality for specialized dental care.

New uses for rehabilitation protocol for oral sinus communications in ARONJ patients.

This report presents a new use for rehabilitation protocol for oral sinus communications in patients with antiresorptive agent-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw. The treatment plan consisted of constructing an atraumatic complete denture with rounded edges, made with nontoxic resin, to prevent any injury to the mucosa and recurrence of the disease. The patient was followed up for 4 years, without any complications, and was socially reintegrated by resuming the normal life he experienced before tooth loss.

[Popularization of oral self-examination: an example of non formal education--Part II]. / Popularização do autoexame da boca: um exemplo de educação não formal--Parte II.

One of the largest challenges of the universities, especially the public ones, is to transpose the scientific knowledge produced into their walls for the general population. The non-formal education is an important tool, and yet very little used by researchers and professors to approximate the scientific knowledge. The oral cancer reaches more than 11.000 Brazilians a year. In spite of the high incidence, this pathology is still little known by the general population and part of the medical and dental class. Basing on the epidemic data in researches and scientific papers, the oral cancer was the elect theme for the action in education and communication of the first national campaign with no government character of prevention in oral cancer, being a great example of as that can be made. This paper intends to describe the methodology used in communication and the results obtained in this successful experience.

A paradigm shift in predoctoral dental curricula in Brazil: evaluating the process of change.

In 2002, the Brazilian Ministry of Education approved the official curricular guidelines for undergraduate courses in Brazil to be adopted by the nation's 188 dental schools. In 2005-06, the Brazilian Dental Education Association (BDEA) promoted workshops in forty-eight of the schools to verify the degree of transformation of the curriculum based on these guidelines. Among the areas analyzed were course philosophy (variables were v1: knowledge production based on the needs of the Brazilian Public Health System [BPHS]; v2: health determinants; and v3: postgraduate studies and permanent education); pedagogical skills (v4: curricular structure; v5: changes in pedagogic and didactic skills; and v6: course program orientation); and dental practice scenarios (v7: diversity of the scenarios for training/learning; v8: academic health care centers opened to the BPHS; and v9: participation of students in health care delivery for the population). The subjects consisted of faculty members (n=711), students (n=228), and employees (n=14). The results showed an incipient degree of curriculum transformation. The degree of innovation was statistically different depending on the type of university (public or private) for variables 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Private schools reported a higher level of innovation than public institutions. Resistance to transforming the dental curriculum according to the official guidelines may be linked to an ideological conception that supports the private practice model, continues to have faculty members direct all classroom activities, and prevents students from developing an understanding of professional practice as targeted towards the oral health needs of all segments of society.

[Comparative analysis of cause-specific mortality for dentists in the city of São Paulo]. / Análise comparativa da proporção de óbitos segundo causas, de dentistas na cidade de São Paulo.

The present study describes cause-specific mortality among dentists living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, from 1980 to 2000, in search of possible indications of work-attributable risk. Official mortality information was supplied by the State Data Analysis System. Comparative analysis used analogous information for physicians and engineers. Analysis of death distribution according to underlying causes indicated the absence of significant differences that might suggest increased risk of death for dentists as compared to physicians and engineers. Dentists' deaths did not present worse indications for global and specific categories of infectious diseases, neoplasms, suicide, or central nervous system or circulatory diseases. A systematic excess mortality caused by injuries was observed for engineers, especially in traffic-related accidents, accidental falls, and other accidents. We observed the absence of significant discrepancies indicating work-attributable risk for dentists. This observation suggests that dentistry can be considered a safe profession, at least regarding exposure to systematic risk of death.