Oral health in the children’s preventive health care initiative : indicators and goals in a primary health care service

O objetivo foi avaliar o cumprimento das metas de saúde bucal da Ação Programática da Criança em 12 Unidades de Saúde (US) de um Serviço de Atenção Primária à Saúde, Porto Alegre-RS, através de um estudo analítico transversal sobre a cobertura das consultas odontológicas anuais na primeira infância. Foram incluídas no estudo 660 crianças nascidas em 2010. Em relação à cobertura das consultas odontológicas a cada ano de vida da criança, as unidades de saúde não atingiram as metas estabelecidas (100%). A maior parte das crianças (35%) realizou sua primeira consulta no primeiro ano de vida. Em relação ao número total de consultas, 22% das crianças nunca as tiveram e apenas 8% realizaram as quatro preconizadas. Houve correlação positiva entre a razão da população total e de crianças de 0-4 anos da área adscrita com o número de profissionais da odontologia e a cobertura no primeiro ano de vida de cada US. Apesar de poucas crianças terem o acompanhamento adequado em relação à meta estabelecida, os percentuais de cobertura foram superiores aos encontrados na literatura.The objective of this study is to assess fulfillment of the oral health goals of the Children’s Preventive Health Care Initiative in 12 Health Units (HU) of a Primary Health Care Service, in Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, through a cross-sectional analytical study on the annual dental visit coverage in early childhood. The study was comprised of 660 children born in 2010. In relation to the coverage of dental visits for each year of life of children, the health units did not achieve the set targets (100%). However, a considerable number of children (35%) had their first dental visit during the first year of life. In relation to the total number of visits, 22% of the children had never gone to the dentist and only 8% did the recommended four visits. There was a positive correlation between the ratio of the total population and children from ages 0 to 4 years in the area enrolled in the initiative, on the one hand, and the number of dental professionals and coverage in the first year of life in each health unit, on the other. Although few children had adequate follow-up visits in relation to the set targets, the percentage of coverage was higher than that found in the literature