NATIONAL ORAL HEALTH POLICY AND REHABILITATIVE CARE IN THE BRAZILIAN UNIFIED HEALTH SYSTEM

ANALYSIS OF PROSTHETIC PRODUCTION IN TWO HEALTH REGIONS IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Abstract

Introduction: The National Oral Health Policy (PNSB), institutionalized by Law No. 14.572/2023, represents a landmark for comprehensive oral health care within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), guiding the construction of a care network that includes prosthetic rehabilitation as an essential component of integrality. Objective: To analyze dental prosthesis production under the PNSB framework, through Regional Dental Prosthesis Laboratories (RDPL), in two health regions in Southern Brazil, comparing 2014 and 2024, reflecting on the reach of rehabilitative care within the SUS. Method: This is a descriptive epidemiological study based on secondary data from the Outpatient Information System (DATASUS), covering procedures for removable partial dentures and complete dentures performed in municipalities of the Verdes Campos and Entre Rios Health Regions (4th Regional Health Coordination, Rio Grande do Sul). Data were organized by municipality, month and year of production and complemented with population estimates from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Results: In 2014, four municipalities produced 1,103 removable partial dentures; in 2024, nine municipalities produced 829 units, indicating a reduction in total production despite an increase in producing municipalities. For complete dentures, the same four municipalities produced 619 units in 2014 and ten produced 657 units in 2024, showing a slight increase in total volume. A shift in the geographic profile of production was also observed, from larger municipalities in 2014 to smaller ones in 2024. Conclusion: The findings reveal both advances and limitations in the implementation of a central PNSB directive. There was a decline in total prosthesis production, despite territorial expansion, indicating that rehabilitative care within the SUS still faces structural weaknesses regarding funding, regional planning, and human resources, factors that require consistent actions for consistent monitoring and strengthening of the Policy.