TeleCleft: Development and Evaluation of a Mobile Application for Monitoring Cleft Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Development and evaluation of a mobile application for remote monitoring and guidance of pediatric patients diagnosed with cleft lip and/or palate (CL ± P) and their caregivers. DESIGN: This is a pilot cross-sectional, applied, and quantitative study. SETTING: The study was conducted in two tertiary care treatment centers in Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: The participants included 20 caregivers and infants undergoing treatment with nasoalveolar molding (NAM) for CL ± P. INTERVENTIONS: The intervention involved using the TeleCleft mobile application for remote monitoring and guidance of caregivers and infants during NAM treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The main outcome measures included usability and satisfaction of users with the TeleCleft application. RESULTS: The results showed high usability and satisfaction ratings among users of the TeleCleft application. Most participants found remote monitoring to be effective and expressed positive opinions about its convenience and usefulness. CONCLUSION: TeleCleft could be a viable tool for remote monitoring and guidance, reducing the need for patients and caregivers to travel to treatment centers, which could potentially alleviate the burden of care faced by families during the journey of CL ± P treatment.

Factors associated with the performance and achieving goals of specialized periodontal procedures in Brazilian dental specialties centers.

BACKGROUND: The Brazilian Dental Specialty Centers (CEO, in Portuguese) represent the strategy of the National Oral Health Policy to provide secondary-level dental care. They offer more complex procedures, such as the treatment of periodontitis. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with the performance and the achievement goals of specialized procedures and the achievement gols of periodontics in CEO. METHODOLOGY: Analytical and cross-sectional study using secondary data. The database of the second cycle of the External Evaluation of the National Program for Improving Access and Quality in CEO (PMAQ-CEO, in Portuguese), was utilized, which assessed 1,042 CEO on-site in 2018. The data were analyzed using multiple Poisson regression, estimating the prevalence ratio (PR) (p < 0.05). RESULTS: A third of the CEO (n = 305) performed all specialized procedures, with a higher prevalence observed in those with more than one bicarbonate jet prophylaxis unit (RP = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.160-3.881; p = 0.015) and when they had a higher percentage of specialist professionals (RP = 1.004; 95% CI: 1.002-1.006; p < 0.001). The periodontics goal was achieved by 617 (59.2%) CEO, with a higher prevalence among those who had a manager with supplementary training (PR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.100-1.335; p < 0.001) and with a higher workload for the periodontist dentist (PR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.103-1.201; p < 0,001). CONCLUSION: Although most CEOs do not perform allspecialized periodontics procedures, more than half achieved the established goals. The provision of specialized periodontics services in CEO and the achievement of goals are influenced by the quantity and professional qualifications, as well as the availability of equipment.

Racial inequality in complete dental prosthesis delivered: can public services reduce inequities?

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between access and delivery of complete dental prosthesis according to the proportion of the black population in Brazilian municipalities and to oral health policies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ecological data from 2017 to 2021 relating to the delivery of complete dentures stratified by race was collected in all Brazilian cities. We calculated a racial inequality indicator by subtracting the percentage of the black population from the percentage of complete dental prostheses that were delivered to blacks in each municipality. Logistic and linear regression models were carried out. RESULTS: We found that 49.2% (2737) of municipalities delivered complete prostheses. The service was more frequently available in municipalities where black individuals made up 20-80% (odds ratio [OR] = 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15; 1.81), those with dental specialty centers (DSC) (OR = 3.04, 95%CI 2.50; 3.68), and those with more oral health teams (OHTs) (OR = 3.43, 95%CI 2.81; 4.18). Where dental prostheses were available, racial inequities favored the white population by 7.7 percentage points (p < 0.01). Increased inequality was observed in municipalities with more OHTs and/or a higher proportion of black individuals (>80%). CONCLUSIONS: Although municipalities with a DSC, and with more OHTs offer better access to complete dental prosthesis for blacks, racial inequality still impacts the delivery of the service. Primary and secondary healthcare services may even exacerbate this. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Policymakers should monitor racial inequities in healthcare services. The currently unmet needs of black people are critical, especially in cities with more OHTs and/or increased proportions of black people.

Management Models of Centers of Dental Specialties: Analysis from PMAQ-CEO

Objective: To identify and understand how management models are being institutionalized in Centers of Dental Specialties, specifically with regard to the publicprivate relationship. Material and Methods: A descriptive and quantitative study using database of the 1st cycle PMAQ/CEO External Evaluation, specific to the question directed to managers or Dentists working at CEO: what is the labor link of CEO professionals? It was considered an alternative model when at least one dentist had nonstatutory labor relationship. Statistical analyses performed were exploratory and descriptive. Results: Data were collected from 930 CEOs distributed throughout Brazil, of which 170 (18.3%) are under alternative management model, especially in the southeastern (37.6%) and northeastern regions (34.7%), distributed in 147 municipalities, 144 (85%) under municipal management, 22 (13%) under state management. Of CEOs with state management, 68% are in Ceará State and 27% in Paraná State. In 78.6% of CEOs, the labor link of dentists is exclusively via direct public administration. Other 10.1% are in direct public administration with new legal arrangements. Only alternative management models were identified in 8.2% of CEOs. Conclusion: A significant number of CEOs are under alternative management model, and its distribution to all regions indicates a consolidation trend.

Theoretical and Methodological Aspects of the External Evaluation of the Improvement, Access and Quality of Centers for Dental Specialties Program

Objective: To introduce the main theoretical and methodological aspects of the external evaluation of the 1st cycle National Program for Quality Evaluation (AEPMAQ/ CEO). Material and Methods: This is an evaluative and quantitative research carried out in all Centers for Dental Specialties - CEO of Brazil, and macro-geographical regions were taken into account for analysis. The general AE-PMAQ/CEO coordination was from the Collaborative Centre for Oral Health Surveillance of the Ministry of Health - Federal University of Pernambuco and Department for Primary Health Care of the Ministry of Health. A collaborative network was established to offer a scientific and technical support for the Project among different higher education institutions around the country, state oral health coordination and quality researchers of AE-PMAQ/CEO. Data collection was carried out through interviews with managers, dentists and users. In addition, researchers used an observation template to check for infrastructure and a questionnaire to register previously discussed quality standards. Conclusion: The external evaluation of the 1st cycle National Program for Quality Evaluation offered data to demonstrate and give recognition to CEO services and municipalities' managers to assure quality for specialized dental care.

Centers of Dental Specialties in the Context of Oral Health Attention Regionalization in Brazil: PMAQ-CEO Results

Objective: To describe the distribution of Centers of Dental Specialties by Brazilian health regions and analyze the intermunicipal consortia as an alternative management of provision of oral health in the medium complexity. Material and Methods: The quantitative database of the external evaluation of the first-cycle PMAQ CEO directed to the CEO Manager was explored (Module II - 4.1), which seeks to identify the relationship of professionals and locate the consortium-type management. To obtain data about health regions, the interfederactive department of Strategic and Participative Management of the Health Ministry of Brazil database has been consulted. Results: In national perspective, of the 438 health regions, 78.1% (n = 342) have at least one service implanted. Under federal management, only university services: 02 in Pará and 01 in Santa Catarina. There are 40 services under state management (4.3% of the total in Brazil), half of which are under the model of consortiums between state and municipalities, especially Ceará, with fifteen and Paraná with five. Municipals consortiums are institutional arrangements still incipient: 4.62% of specialized dental clinics in Brazil. Conclusion: There was a rapid expansion of Centers of Dental Specialties after ten years of their implementation, demonstrating a healthy capillarity and a great capacity for the implementation of Health Policies. The incipient supply of medium complexity oral health services via specialized dental clinics of the consortiumtype management model was verified.