CONHECIMENTO E PRÁTICA DE CIRURGIÕES-DENTISTAS NO PROGRAMA SAÚDE NA ESCOLA

Abstract

The School Health Program proposes a different approach to health education policy. Oral health is among the actions of component I (clinical and psychosocial evaluation) performed under the School Health Program. In the researched literature there are few publications in the oral health area about the actions of the School Health Program and the impact of investment in this sector. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and practice of the Family Health Strategy Dental Surgeons in the School Health Program. A cross-sectional study was conducted including all the Dental Surgeons that work at the Family Health Strategy in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil. Data were collected from March to July 2019 through a self-administered questionnaire sent to the Dental Surgeons by the WhatsApp® application. Sociodemographic data and questions related to the performance and knowledge of the Dental Surgeons about the School Health Program were collected. Descriptive analyzes and Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests (p <0.05) were performed. Of the 219 eligible for this study, 175 participated (79.9%). These are female (72%), aged between 31-50 years (66.3%), graduated 11 to 20 years ago (66.3%), in a public institution (89.9%) with specialization (68%) in the clinical area (73.1%). Of the 175 Dental Surgeons surveyed, 164 (94.3%) perform activities in the School Health Program. The most common actions were epidemiological survey (40.6%), supervised brushing (63.4%), topical fluoride application (10.9%) and educational lectures (11.4%). Despite conducting epidemiological surveys, Dental Surgeons are unaware of the prevalence and severity of tooth decay in schoolchildren. There is little knowledge of the Dental Surgeons about School Health Program and there was no association of knowledge with other variables. Concludes that professionals have difficulties in relation to knowledge about School Health Program and despite performing important activities, neglect their goals and the need for evaluations, which can impact negatively the articulation between health and education and consequently the quality of life of the students.