Oral Health Policy in Brazil: transformations in the period 2015-2017

ABSTRACT This study analyzed the implementation of the Oral Health Policy in Brazil between 2015-2017 in four components: institutional actions, implementation, financing and results. The Ministry of Health (MS) websites were monitored and secondary data were collected regarding institutional actions of the MS, implementation of Primary Dental Care and Specialized Dental Care, results (coverage of the first dental consultation, average collective action of supervised brushing and specialized treatments), and financing. Between 2015 and 2017, there was a 5.8% increase in the number of Oral Health Teams and a 6.4% increase in the number of Dental Specialties Centers. Coverage for the dental consultation fell from 14.6% in 2015 to 10.5% in 2016 and 8.3% in 2017. There was a slight reduction in federal funding in 2017 compared to 2016. A restrictive political scenario for oral health was found in 2016 in the smaller implantation of new services, with successive changes in the oral health policy national coordination. It is necessary to deepen the study on the financing of the policy, since the financial contribution of 2016-2017 is not consistent with the little advance in the implantation and tendency of maintenance of results, with decrease of specific indicators such as the first programmatic dental consultation.