Challenges of access to oral health: an integrative literature review

Abstract

When we talk about the population's access to oral health in primary health care, we are facing a major challenge, which involves ensuring a quality service that is facilitated, comprehensive and resolute. The aim of this study was to analyze the quality of access to oral health in primary health care. For this, an integrative literature review was carried out using the Virtual Health Library, through articles from the last five years. The search strategy returned 118 articles and 16 were included. The four categories that emerged from the analysis were: Assessment of access to dental services by the population and its challenges; The impact of the quality of access to the population; Understanding the professional's relationship with access and Evaluating the effectiveness of implementing an agenda to improve access to oral health services. It is concluded that there are still many challenges to be overcome so that we can have an effective access to quality oral health in PHC.