Management performance in public oral health actions and services: a cross-sectional study in the Serra Catarinense region, Brazil, 2022.

Objective: To evaluate municipal health service management performance regarding public oral health actions and services.

Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in the 18 municipalities of Serra Catarinense region, Brazil, in 2022, with health secretaries, primary care and oral health coordinators; performance was self-assessed considering three dimensions (planning, monitoring and evaluation, and specific actions) and classified as poor (<2), medium (2-3) and good (>3); analyses were carried out according to management functions, using Kruskal-Wallis and Scheffé means comparison tests and analysis of variance, taking a 5% significance level.

Results: Overall performance was evaluated as medium, with higher averages for planning (2.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.32; 2.69); the specific actions dimension had the poorest performance (2.28 95%CI 2.08; 2.48). Health secretaries had higher performance averages when compared to coordinators of other functions (3.22; p-valor 0.007).

Conclusion: Health service manager performance was considered to be medium, with differences depending on the managers' role. Specific oral health actions had the poorest performance.