CONTRIBUTION OF DENTISTRY TECHNICIANS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN CHILE 2017-2020

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1594672409075

• Palavras-chave: Salud oral; Atención Primaria; Técnicos en odontología.

• Keywords: Oral health; Primary Care; Dental technicians.

• Abstract:

  Introduction: In Chile, oral health is a priority issue in the health field and represents a fundamental challenge for health services that aim to guarantee universal and equitable access to the population. In Primary Health Care (PHC), the team has higher level dental technicians (TONS) who can play a fundamental role in providing more timely dental care, allowing us to respond to the oral health needs of the population. Goal: The objective of this study is to describe the dental activities recorded by dental technicians in primary health care, in Chile, during the years 2017-2020. Material and Methods: A descriptive study was carried out using data from the Monthly Statistical Registry (REM) of the Ministry of Health. The following activities were measured: sealant application, coronal polishing and supragingival scaling, topical fluoridation, individual brushing technique instruction, and intraoral radiographs. The number of dental activities carried out by the technicians grouped by sex, age group and type of service was detailed. The frequency of dental activities was determined for each year of study, as well as the trend of activities in the study period. Results: 25,459,254 dental activities were registered by dentists and 1,496,237 by dental technicians, which represents 6% of the total activities. In 2017, 4.58% of total dental activities were carried out by technicians, a figure that increased to 6.0% in 2020, showing a slight upward trend (R2 =0.71). Intraoral radiographs were the most common activity. Conclusion: The activities carried out by dental technicians contribute to the care provided by the dentist in primary care, mainly in taking intraoral x-rays.