[Time trend of Family Health Strategy oral health teams in Brazilian municipalities from 2001 to 2021].

Abstract

This study aimed to describe and analyze the trend in the rates of Family Health Strategy (FHS) oral health teams from 2001 to 2021. The 5,560 municipalities existing in Brazil in 2002 were included in this ecological study. The data were extracted from the government portal e-Gestor Atenção Básica (e-Manager Primary Care), which offers access to various health information systems. The rate of oral health teams per 100,000 inhabitants/year was considered as the dependent variable. Rate of family health teams, Brazilian macroregion, population size, GDP per capita, and the implementation of the Brazilian National Oral Health Policy in 2004 and Constitutional Amendment n. 95 in 2016 were chosen as independent variables. A generalized linear regression model was used with the Prais-Winsten method. Teams steadily grew throughout the period, but such increase gradually decelerated over time. Rates went from 1.9 in 2001 to 29 oral health teams per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021, a total growth of 27.1. After 2004, teams increased by 1.8 teams per 100,000 inhabitants (95%CI: 1.7; 2.0). After 2016, annual growth showed an average reduction of 0.5 (95%CI: -0.6; -0.3). Municipalities with smaller populations, lower GDP per capita, and those in the Brazilian Northeast showed increase rates above the average trend (32.9, 16.2, and 33.6, respectively). FHS oral health teams have grown in regions with greater social need for services. Further studies are needed to investigate other factors that influence the variation in the historical series of oral family health.