Resumo

MICLOS, Paula Vitali; JUNIOR, Manoelito Ferreira Silva; OLIVEIRA, Cecília Maria Soares Carvalho  e  OLIVEIRA, Maria Aparecida de. Practice of promotion and education of oral health in major hospitals within the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Arq. Odontol. [online]. 2013, vol.49, n.2, pp. 82-87. ISSN 1516-0939.

Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the current stage of oral health promotion practices and education in the context of Hospital Dentistry in major hospitals in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte (MRBH), Brazil. Materials and Methods: This study is quantitative, descriptive, and crosssectional. The inclusion criteria included hospitals located in the MRBH, which are categorized as large and offer some type of dental specialty, regardless of employment relationship of the dentist. The research was conducted by means of a structured questionnaire, carried out by only one researcher, addressed to the dentist in charge of the dental department in each hospital. After using the inclusion criteria, of the 21 major hospitals in RMBH, only 14 had dentists in their clinical staff. The collected data were placed in an Excel 2003 database (Microsoft) in absolute and relative frequencies. Results: In 2008, 71.4% of the hospitals in RMBH with dentists performed educational procedures. Regarding healthcare education methods, individual actions was the most commonly used (80.0%), followed by lectures and brushing techniques (60.0%), and, to a lesser extent, but no less important, 200% of the hospitals applied a supervised brushing technique. The themes most commonly addressed in the educational activities included the use of toothbrushes and dental floss, found in 100% of the cases, and a cariogenic diet, the use of mouthwash, and the interference of oral conditions in the patient's general health, found in 90.0% of the cases. Conclusion: It was found that most hospitals in RMBH offered education and oral health promotion. These practices, regardless of the type of educational procedure performed, must be consolidated in the hospital in an attempt to strengthen and justify the need for these professionals in hospitals.

Palavras-chave : Health promotion; Dental health education; Dental staff hospital.