Abstract

HELOISA, Godoi; MELLO, Ana Lúcia Schaefer Ferreira de; CAETANO, João Carlos  and  ZANARDI, Eduardo. Oral Health Care Network: Limitations and Challenges in a Large Municipality of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Saúde Transform. Soc. [online]. 2013, vol.4, n.4, pp. 69-77. ISSN 2178-7085.

The organization of the Unified Health System is guided by structuring of health care networks. Oral health care constitutes a thematic network in the consolidation process. In this context, the objective was to analyze the organization of the network of oral health care in a large municipality of Santa Catarina, Brazil, identifying its elements and the integration between them. This is a descriptive and exploratory study with a qualitative approach. Primary data were obtained through a structured questionnaire applied to oral health public administrators. Secondary data were collected in official databases and provided by Municipal and State Health Directories. Analysis allowed the identification of limitations and challenges to be overcome in each of the three components of the health care network. The city has a wide range of points of health care at all levels of care and tools for integration of services and reorientation of primary health care. However, features such as needs to overcome weaknesses in logistics systems and governance and expansion of oral health teams entered the family health strategy, operating according to principles of health surveillance.

Keywords : Dental Health Services; Delivery of Health Care; Comprehensive Dental Care.

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