Abstract

LINHARES, Letícia Lara  and  BORDIN, Ronaldo. Oral healthcare profile of a Brazilian state capital according to data from the Outpatient Clinic Information Database of the Unified National Health System. RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online) [online]. 2012, vol.60, n.1, pp. 41-47. ISSN 1981-8637.

Objective This study determined the oral healthcare profile of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Methods Data on the oral care procedures provided by the public healthcare system of the municipality of Porto Alegre from 2000 to 2007 were obtained from the Outpatient Clinic Information Database of the Brazilian Unified National Health System and categorized according to their level of care (preventive and curative) and complexity (primary and specialty). Results Preventive and primary procedures represented 60.2% and 87.7%, respectively, of the procedures done during the study period. The number of procedures involving dental prostheses increased 1031%, endodontic treatments increased 153%, and primary surgical procedures decreased 48%. Conclusion The Municipal Department of Health does not have data on the oral health of the municipal population because there was no oral health management at the time. The Outpatient Clinic Information System proved to be an important tool for the assessment of the federal, state and municipal oral healthcare policies. The critical information it provides improves policy makers' decision-making, the purpose of any information system

Keywords : Health management; Oral health; Public health dentistry.