Analysis of the supply of specialized oral health care services in the Brazilian National Health System: Brazil, 2014. / Análise da oferta de serviços na atenção especializada em saúde bucal no Sistema Único de Saúde, Brasil, 2014.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the availability of public specialized dental care services at Dental Specialties Centers (CEO) in Brazil in 2014. METHODS: secondary data on the CEO ratio and dental surgeon ratio were analyzed by population as well as the adequacy of the quantity of complete dental consulting rooms per CEO type, the adequacy of the ratio between the working hours of dental auxiliaries /technicians and those of dental surgeons and the adequacy of the availability of recommended minimum specialties. Possible statistical differences between macro-regions were verified. RESULTS: we found a ratio of one CEO per 217,797 inhabitants and one dental surgeon per 26,811 inhabitants; 97% of CEOs had the recommended number of dental consulting rooms; 26% had equivalent working hours between dental auxiliaries /technicians and dental surgeons; 60% offered the recommended minimum specialties. CONCLUSION: there were limitations in the provision of National Health System specialized oral health care services as well as regional differences.

Trends in the dental surgeon workforce in Brazil 2007-2014: a time series study using data from the National Registry of Health Services. / Tendências da força de trabalho de cirurgiões-dentistas no Brasil, no período de 2007 a 2014: estudo de séries temporais com dados do Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde.

OBJECTIVE: the objective was to analyze trends in the dental surgeon workforce in Brazil between 2007 and 2014. METHODS: this is a time series study using data from the Brazilian National Register of Health Establishments and the Brazilian National Institute of Geography and Statistics. Prais-Winsten generalized linear regression was used to estimate time trends and to calculate the annual percent change in the dental surgeon workforce over the period. RESULTS: the number of dental surgeons working as general practitioners and as specialists grew on average by 12.7% and 17.3% per annum, respectively; dental surgeon workforce expansion in relation to general practitioners (0.5%) and specialists (11.6%) was lower in the public sector, compared to the private sector (24.5% and 30.3%, respectively). CONCLUSION: the number of dental surgeons in Brazil is high, although they are not equally distributed between both sectors. This may imply barriers to dental care access in Brazil.

[Human resources provision for maxillofacial surgery facilities]. / Obespechenie naseleniia kadrami vrachei po profiliu 'cheliustno-litsevaia khirurgiia'.

The aim of the study was to analyze the key trends of medical staff provision for maxillofacial surgery facilities. It is established that the provision of the population with maxillofacial surgeons staff has slightly decreased from 0.08 (year 2011) to 0.06 (year 2015). The amount of staff positions at this period has increased by 17.22%, the intensity of growth of employed positions has grown by 15.74%, which makes the understaffing rate equal to approximately 8-10%. The coefficient of part-time workers has also varied slightly from 1.4 in 2011 to 1.26 in 2015. Over 93% of maxillofacial surgeons work in hospitals. The qualification category was awarded to over 46.0% of specialists in this field, 97.6% of maxillofacial surgeons have a specialist certificate. The results indicate the need for a new project of personnel policy strategy for further training and professional growth of maxillofacial surgeons.

The provision of surgical tracheostomies by maxillofacial surgeons in the UK: time for a dedicated tracheostomy team?

Surgical tracheostomy is a commonly provided service by surgical teams for patients in intensive care where percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy is contraindicated. A number of factors may interfere with its provision on shared emergency operating lists, potentially prolonging the stay in intensive care. We undertook a two-part project to examine the factors that might delay provision of surgical tracheostomy in the intensive care unit. The first part was a prospective audit of practice within the University Hospital Coventry. This was followed by a telephone survey of oral and maxillofacial surgery units throughout the UK. In the intensive care unit at University Hospital Coventry, of 39 referrals, 21 (53.8%) were delayed beyond 24 hours. There was a mean (standard deviation) time to delay of 2.2 days (0.9 days) and the most common cause of delay was surgeon decision, accounting for 13 (61.9%) delays. From a telephone survey of 140 units nationwide, 40 (28.4%) were regularly involved in the provision of surgical tracheostomies for intensive care and 17 (42.5%) experienced delays beyond 24 hours, owing to a combination of theatre availability (76.5%) and surgeon availability (47.1%). There is case for having a dedicated tracheostomy team and provisional theatre slot to optimise patient outcomes and reduce delays. We aim to implement such a move within our unit and audit the outcomes prospectively following this change.

African Americans in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Factors Affecting Career Choice, Satisfaction, and Practice Patterns.

PURPOSE: There are few data available on the experience of minority surgeons in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to 1) explore factors that contribute to African Americans choosing OMS as a career, 2) examine satisfaction among minority oral and maxillofacial surgeons with the residency application and training process, 3) report on practice patterns among minority oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and 4) identify perceived bias for or against minority oral and maxillofacial surgeons in an attempt to aid the efforts of OMS residency organizations to foster diversity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 19-item survey was sent to 80 OMS practitioners by use of information from the mailing list of the National Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, an American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons-affiliated organization. All surveys were sent by mail and were followed by a reminder mailing after 8 weeks. Responses returned within 16 weeks were accepted for analysis. RESULTS: Of the 80 mailed surveys, 41 were returned within the 16-week parameter, representing a return rate of 51%. Most of the minority surgeon respondents were married men with a mean age of 60 years who worked as private practitioners. Most respondents practiced on the eastern and western coasts of the United States. Exposure in dental school was the most important factor in selecting OMS as a specialty. Location and prestige were the most important factors in selecting a residency program. Most respondents reported that race did not affect the success of their application to a residency program and did not currently affect the success of their practice. However, 25 to 46% of participants experienced race-related harassment, and 48 to 55% of participants believed there was a bias against African Americans in OMS. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that a substantial number of minority oral and maxillofacial surgeons subjectively perceive race-based bias in their career, although it does not appear to affect professional success.

Cirugía y traumatología bucomáxilofacial en la red hospitalaria chilena / Maxilofacial surgery in the Chilean healthcare network

RESUMEN: Argumentando la existencia de listas de espera de cirugía bucal y máxilofacial, los Ministerios de Salud y Educación chilenos deciden crear un profesional de menores competencias que el cirujano bucal y máxilofacial existente, cuya formación dure un año y se desempeñe en la atención primaria de salud. Decretan la especialidad de Cirugía Bucal, comprometiendo la calidad y seguridad de la atención, exponiendo a los enfermos a eventos adversos de impredecibles desenlaces, afectando la calidad de vida de éstos o provocando eventualmente un desenlace fatal. El objetivo del presente estudio es establecer el número de cirujanos bucales y máxilofaciales formados en el país, conocer cuantos se desempeñan en hospitales públicos y su distribución en los servicios de salud, así como también evaluar si se cumplen las condiciones de infraestructura necesarias para desarrollar la especialidad según la normativa vigente. Consideramos que éstos son datos fundamentales al momento de modificar políticas públicas. La metodología propuesta es un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal, realizando una encuesta dirigida a los jefes de los servicios odontológicos de la red hospitalaria pública del país, destinada a obtener información del prestador individual e institucional en cada centro de la red. Se concluye que existe una cantidad suficiente de especialistas formados y en vías de formación para atender las necesidades de la población. La evidencia muestra que faltan cargos e infraestructura, por lo que la medida adoptada por el MINSAL respecto a la creación de la especialidad de Cirugía Bucal obedece a un error diagnóstico desde el punto de vista del prestador individual e institucional, originado por la ausencia de un estudio técnico que evalúe la red hospitalaria del país.

ABSTRACT: Arguing the existence of waiting lists in oral and maxillofacial surgery, the chilean Ministries of Health and Education decided to create a professional less skilled than the existing oral and maxilofacial surgeon, whose training lasts one year and works in primary care health. They established the specialty of Oral Surgery, compromising the quality and safety of care, exposing patients to adverse events with unpredictable outcomes, affecting their quality of life or eventually causing a fatal outcome. At the time of this study there is no record of the number of oral and maxillofacial surgeons trained in our country, it is unknown how many are working in public hospitals and their distribution in health services, as well as whether there is the necessary infrastructure to develop the specialty under current regulations. We made a descriptive transversal study, conducting an interview aimed to obtain information from individual and institutional providers to know the reality of the specialty in the public health network. It is concluded that there is a sufficient number of specialists trained and in training to meet the needs of the population. The evidence shows missing possitions and infrastructure, so that the action taken by the Health Ministry regarding the creation of the specialty of Oral Surgery is due to a misdiagnosis from the point of view of an individual and institutional provider, caused by the absence of a technical study to assess the country’s hospital network.