COELHO, Júlia Marques et al. Rights regarding dental care: the view of family health strategy users. Arq. Odontol. []. 2015, 51, 4, pp. 186-193. ISSN 1516-0939.

Aim: This study aimed to identify the knowledge of Family Health Strategy (FHS) users in a mid-sized city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, as regards their basic rights to dental care. Methods: The universe of this study consisted of 64,224 individuals, ranging from 18 to 59 years of age, registered with each of the 30 FHS units in the city of study, which have Oral Health Teams (OHTs). The sample size was calculated based on the method to estimate a proportion, totaling 384 users. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire applied in the form of an interview. Results: The results demonstrated that 86.4% of the interviewees did not participate in any social organization in their suburb, and only 11.5% of the users knew about the Municipal Health Council. Almost all of the users (90.6%) affirmed that they had prior knowledge of the right to health guaranteed by the Brazilian Federal Constitution. As regards access to dental treatment, 86.7% of the users declared that they knew the process for scheduling an appointment. It was observed that 72.1% of the interviewees argued that they would make a complaint if they were dissatisfied about something, but 38.8% of them declared that they did not know where they should file the complaint. Conclusion: According to the results, it could be concluded that the community interviewed in this study presents characteristics of a group that is aware of their rights to dental care. However, a contradictory posture of the interviewees was identified with regard to exercising these rights to their full extent.

: Right to health.; Power (Psychology).; Consumer participation..