Family Health Program-University : A Brazilian experience

Objectives: The study was planning in order to test a model of Family Health Program, emphasizing Dentistry and Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, according the called SUS (Brazilian Health System). The program had been developed under responsibility of the Department of Public Health, School of Dentistry of Bauru, University of São Paulo, Brazil.

Methods:During the year 2007 it was attended the families of the 52 children, students of the “Casa do Garoto”, including 180 parents, brothers, sisters and others living in the same home. After recording of all the members of the families, it was made home visits to detect oral necessities and planning of an educational, preventive and restorative program. The most of educative and preventive acts was offered in home and the clinical interventions by the dental clinic of the School of Dentistry nominated before.

Results: The net income of the enrolled families was U$354.60 and the income per capita U$85.00. The DMFT was 1.81 (7 – 16 years old), considering only the students. To the non students, into the same families, the DMFT was 2.13. The percentage of caries free was 31.55%. The speech, hearing and language conditions were within the normality patterns; only the written language presented any kind of lacks. In the Dental Clinic of he School of Dentistry where attended 180 patients, even thought only 122 initiated treatment. The degree of satisfaction of the families was measured 3 months after the visit by means of scores attributed by the program, which obtained 9.41.

Conclusion: According the obtained results, and respective discussion, may be concluded that the developed program, in home, allowed the opening of “new doors” to become possible the access of the population in public health dental services in Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.