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The aim of this study is to compare the dental profiles of Brazilian patients with rare genetic skeletal disorders and normotypical patients. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 210 individuals aged between 2 and 54 years old [105 with rare diseases (Mucopolysaccharidosis/MPS n = 27 and Osteogenesis Imperfecta/OI n = 78) and 105 without rare diseases] and their parents/caregivers. The parents/caregivers answered a questionnaire about individual aspects of their child and the dental profile was identified from questions related to dental history and the presence/absence of dental problems. The patients' oral cavity was also examined by three examiners for dental caries, malocclusion, gingivitis, and dental anomalies. The average age of individuals with a rare disease was 14.1 years (±12.2) and the median was 9.5 years. Participants who had already used the public health system (SUS) dental care services had a 2.24 times higher chance of belonging to the group with a rare disease (OR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.07-4.89). Patients with rare diseases are 14.86 times more likely to have difficulty receiving dental treatment (OR = 14.86; 95% CI: 5.96-27.03) and 10.38 times more likely to have one or more dental problems (OR = 10.38; 95% CI: 1.95-35.17). Individuals with rare disorders have a greater history of difficulty in accessing dental treatment, using the SUS, and were diagnosed with more dental problems compared to normotypical individuals.

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AIMS: This study aimed to identify the association between management and human resource factors with the performance of dental care provided to patients with special health care needs (SHCN) in secondary care in Brazil in the second cycle of the Program for Quality Improvement and Access to Dental Specialty Centers (PMAQ-CEO). METHODS AND RESULTS: This study is a secondary data analysis from the second cycle from PMAQ-CEO, which evaluated 1097 Dental Specialty Centers (DSCs), conducted in 2018. Seventeen independent variables taken from dentists' training, and dental team management characteristics were analyzed to assess their influence on the reported "Performance of care for SHCN patients". An estimated score was generated from their performance on 23 questions related to the physical and human structure and work processes in the oral health care of SHCN patients in the DSCs. Negative binomial regression model with values p ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Data analysis included residual deviation to the degree of freedom and the chi-square test. The patient care performance score with SHCN increases significantly when the DSC has a manager (RR = 1.019; CI = 1.011-1.026) and goal monitoring and analysis (RR = 1.012; CI = 1.007-1.005). By contrast, the DSCs in which the dentist is a statutory public servant (RR = 0.998; CI = 0.997-1.000) and performs additional unhealthy or hazardous duties (RR = 0.998; CI = 0.996-0.999) are less likely to provide a higher quality care. CONCLUSION: The heterogeneity and low-performance scores for dental care provided to SHCN was identified in Brazilian health services. It was possible to verify that management and human resource factors of the DSCs were associated with the performance of dental care provided to SHCN patients.

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Aim To evaluate the association of patients' sociodemographic factors (sex, age, ethnicity, income, educational level, living environment and health insurance) with the prescription pattern of opioids provided by oral health practitioners.Methods Observational studies that evaluated the association of patients' sociodemographic factors and the likelihood of receiving an opioid prescription provided by an oral health practitioner were eligible. Electronic searches were conducted in Medline (PubMed), Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, SciELO, Google Scholar, and OpenGrey up to March 2021. Two authors independently screened the studies, performed data extraction, and assessed the risk-of-bias using the critical appraisal tools developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Certainty of the evidence was assessed with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE).Results Eight studies were included in this systematic review. Publication year ranged from 2011 to 2021. Narrative synthesis showed with very low certainty of evidence that younger individuals were more likely to receive a prescription of opioids than older individuals. Regarding the other sociodemographic factors and the prescriptions of opioids in dentistry, the evidence is controversial. Risk of bias was low for most items assessed in the included studies.Conclusion The available evidence suggests that there is an association between patients' sociodemographic factors and the prescription patterns of opioids provided by oral health practitioners.

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Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had quite an impact on dental health care. Concerns about the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through contaminant fluids and droplet formation during several dental procedures highly impacted dental health care, drastically reducing the number of dental practices worldwide. To monitor SARS-CoV-2 contamination in dental clinics, a longitudinal study was carried out during the return of dental practice at university. Methods: Dental health care professionals [(DHCPs); teachers, undergraduate dental students, and dental assistants] and patients were screened for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a dental school clinic environment from 11th January to 12th March 2021 (9 weeks). Serological testing was performed on DHCPs in two-time points. Additionally, samples with low Ct values were sequenced to identify the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant and possible transmission clusters. Results: We found a low number of dental staff (5.8%), patients (0.9%), and environment sites (0.8%) positive for SARS-CoV-2. Most positive cases had asymptomatic to mild symptoms, and two asymptomatic DHCPs presented prolonged infection. In the first week after previous exposure to COVID-19, 16.2% of DHCPs had IgM or IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and 1/3 of them had undetected antibodies in the last weeks. The variant zeta (P.2) could be detected. No cross-infection was observed between participants. Conclusion: Our study suggests that dental practice can be safely executed when adequate control measures and biosafety protocols are applied. DHCP and patient testing, patient telemonitoring, proper use of personal protection equipment, and sanitization of surfaces are essential to avoid SARS-CoV-2 cross-infection in dental practice.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Clear Communication Index (CCI) was cross-culturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese (BR). It was necessary to analyze the reliability and validity of the BR-CDC-CCI for its use in Brazil. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instrument in its Brazilian version. Four specialists in health education used the BR-CDC-CCI to evaluate a population-level health education material. Primary health care professionals (n = 105) evaluated the same health material using the BRCDC-CCI, and 30 professionals performed the retest 15 to 20 days after the first assessment. Cohen Kappa and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were developed. Inter-rater agreement ranged from moderate to almost perfect, with 90% of the items almost perfect. The percentage of agreement ranged from 8.6% to 98.1%. For the analyzed questions, the area on the ROC curve was 0.9412 (confidence interval [CI] 95%; [0.8259, 1.000]). The BR-CDC-CCI had sufficient validity and reliability for its use in the evaluation of educational/informational materials in health in the Brazilian context. In view of the good results from this psychometric assessment, we anticipated the BR-CDC-CCI could contribute to improvements in Brazilian professionals' skills in developing health communication materials, thereby improving the quality of education and, possibly health outcomes. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2022;6(2):e84-e87.].

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This study aimed to identify professional factors associated with case resolution without a referral of orofacial pain to secondary health care by Brazilian Primary Health Care (PHC) practitioners who demanded asynchronous teleconsulting, stratified by year, in 2019 and 2020 (the COVID-19 Pandemic burst). A cross-sectional study employed secondary databases from asynchronous teleconsulting Telehealth Brazil Networks from January 2019 to December 2020. The outcome was the dichotomous variable "If referral to secondary care was avoided." As covariates: sex, healthcare professions, and category of orofacial pain doubts. A negative binomial regression model estimated each covariate's unadjusted and adjusted PR (95%CI) and p values, stratified for 2019 and 2020. There was a difference in descriptive factors associated with case resolution without a referral from 2019 to 2020. Females prevailed in both years, and the total demand decreased to a third from 2019 to 2020. The rate of resoluteness decreased by 19.1%. In 2019, nurses (PR = 0.69 CI 95% 0.57-0.83) and other professionals (PR = 0.84 CI 95% 0.73-0.97) showed less frequency of case resolution without a referral than did general dentists. In 2020, oral-cavity-related doubts (PR = 1.18 CI 95% 1.06-1.32) and temporomandibular disorders (PR = 1.33 95% 1.15-1.54) surpassed other causes of orofacial pain in case resolution without a referral, and female professionals avoided referrals more frequently than men (PR = 1.24 CI 95% 1.21-1.38). In conclusion, in 2019, oral cavity doubts and the PHC profession influenced the case resolution. Female professionals and oral cavity doubts scored the higher case resolution without a referral for the service in 2020.

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OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with oral health care services for individuals with and without rare genetic diseases. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A cross-sectional study was undertaken, with 140 individuals paired by sex and age (70 with rare genetic diseases and 70 without), aged between 3 and 27 years, and their parents. The sample was selected from two reference hospitals for patients with rare genetic diseases in southeastern Brazil. The parents completed a questionnaire on individual aspects and their child's medical/dental history. Participants who did and did not suffer from rare genetic diseases were examined for dental caries, malocclusion, dental anomalies, and oral hygiene. The theoretical model Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAG) was used to identify possible confounding variables in the association between rare diseases and access to dental care. Descriptive analyses and non-matched and matched logistic regression models (p < 0.05) were carried out. RESULTS: The chance of individuals without rare genetic disease having access to oral health care service was 5.32 times higher (95% CI 2.35-12.01) than those with such conditions. Individuals who had not suffered upper respiratory tract infections had a 3.16 times greater chance of being in the group with access to oral health care service (95% CI 1.45-6.90). CONCLUSION: Individuals with no rare genetic diseases and no history of upper respiratory tract infections had a greater chance of belonging to the group of individuals with access to a dental service. Individuals with rare genetic diseases have less access to oral health care.

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ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate knowledge and attitudes towards biosafety recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic at a Brazilian dental school. Material and Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in 2020 with the clinical staff of a Brazilian dental school. The whole clinical staff was sent pre-tested self-administered online questionnaires about knowledge and attitudes towards the recommendations for biosafety in dental settings in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistical analyses were carried out for proportion calculation. Results Disposable head covering caps, isolation gowns, and gloves were the most frequently reported personal protective equipment (PPE). The rates ranged from 52.9% to 88.5% for N95 respirators, from 68.6% to 92.6% for face shields, from 47.4% to 67.5% for conventional eye protection shields, and 45.1% to 77.4% for eye protection with solid side shields. Chlorhexidine gluconate was the most frequent mouthwash indicated before clinical dental care. The percentage of agreement to provide clinical care to patients with suspected COVID-19 varied from 23.5% to 50.0%. The percentage of respondents who agreed that bioaerosol-generating procedures should be avoided was higher than 74.5%. Less than 50% knew the correct sequence for doffing of PPE. Conclusion This study revealed important gaps in knowledge and attitudes towards prevention and control measures against infection in dental environments in the context of COVID-19, indicating the need for improvements.

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Most oral conditions have a multifactorial etiology; that is, they are modulated by biological, social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors. A consistent body of evidence has demonstrated the great burden of dental caries and periodontal disease in individuals from low socioeconomic strata. Oral health habits and access to care are influenced by the social determinants of health. Hence, the delivery of health promotion strategies at the population level has shown a great impact on reducing the prevalence of oral diseases. More recently, a growing discussion about the relationship between the environment, climate change, and oral health has been set in place. Certainly, outlining plans to address oral health inequities is not an easy task. It will demand political will, comprehensive funding of health services, and initiatives to reduce inequalities. This paper sought to give a perspective about the role of social and physical environmental factors on oral health conditions while discussing how the manuscripts published in this Special Issue could increase our knowledge of the topic.

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To evaluate the association between dentists' profile and health work management with the performance of primary care dental teams in the Brazilian National Health System, both nationally and regionally. Secondary data analysis from a Brazilian National Programme that evaluated 18,114 Brazilian dental teams, working in the public sector, between 2013 and 2014. Twenty-four independent variables taken from dentists' profile and dental team management characteristics were analysed to assess their influence on reported "dental team performance." An estimated score was generated from their performance on 20 dental procedures by an item response theory model. Multiple linear regression models were performed for each Brazilian geographical region, separately and for the whole of Brazil. p values ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Two variables related to dentists' profile, "having graduate studies" (ß = 0.151) and "undertaking continuing professional development training" (ß = 0.101), were associated with enhanced dental team performance in all five Brazilian geographical regions and nationally. The dental team management variables of "having a flexible dental appointment list" (ß = 0.218) and "monitoring oral health indicators" (ß = 0.132) also contributed to improve team performance in each of the regions and nationally. Dentists' profile influenced the performance of dental teams from south region more than the other regions. The findings suggest that continuing professional development, including postgraduate education, and strategic management characteristics are important for primary dental care performance and should be reflected in health policy initiatives in support of quality care. Regional factors could be considered for health care management.

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Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) have been traditionally associated with psychosocial factors; however, occupational stress as a factor related to TMD has not been adequately assessed in the literature. The aim was to investigate the association between stress at work and TMD on adult paid workers. An electronic search included PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and LILACS databases. Manual searches in the included articles' reference and gray literature were performed. There were no restrictions regarding language or publication period. The inclusion criteria comprised observational studies with paid workers of any category, of both sexes, above 18 years old, assessing occupational stress/stress or distress and TMD as diagnosis or isolated signs and symptoms. Methodological quality was evaluated using Joanna Briggs tools. We narratively assessed the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. We collected 12 studies. 50% reported a positive association between stress and TMD diagnostic across various job categories. On the other hand, TMJ sounds (a TMD sign) and work stress were associated only in a musicians' population. However, the shortage of eligible articles and the methodological limitations provided a very low certainty of the evidence; only 4 of the studies used validated tools for both stress and TMD (2 reporting positive association). The association between stress and TMD is inconclusive by the available data. In the future, we expect more robust epidemiologic studies addressing these relevant aspects.

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BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental pain and to examine its association with untreated dental caries in 5-year-old children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 261 5-year-old children in Northeast Brazil. Parents answered questions about their socioeconomic conditions and their children's toothache. Trained dentists assessed dental caries using the decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmf-t) index. Binary logistic regression models were used to estimate the unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and the confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association of dental pain with covariates. The significance level was set at five percent. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental pain was 28.7%, and 48.2% of children had untreated dental caries. Dental pain was associated with untreated dental caries (OR=5.7; 95% CI: 3.1-10.53; p<0.001) and living with one parent or other family members (OR=2.3; 95% CI: 1.2-4.4; p=0.008). Sociodemographic factors were not associated with dental pain. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dental pain in preschool children is high, and this condition is associated with both untreated dental caries and living with one parent or other family members. Key words:Toothache, socioeconomic factors, dental caries.

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OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to determine the effectiveness of hemostatic protocols for the prevention of bleeding during dental procedures among individuals receiving oral anticoagulation therapy. INTRODUCTION: Dental procedures may increase the chance of bleeding in individuals receiving oral anticoagulation therapy. The literature suggests different hemostatic protocols for the prevention of bleeding in these individuals but offers no consensus regarding their effectiveness. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled clinical trials comparing the effectiveness of different hemostatic protocols for the prevention of bleeding during oral procedures among individuals 18 years or older receiving oral anticoagulation therapy will be included. METHODS: Computerized searches will be conducted in seven electronic databases. Gray literature and searches in the reference lists of the included articles will also be screened. Two independent reviewers will assess titles/abstracts for potential inclusion against the eligibility criteria. References that meet the eligibility criteria will be included without restriction on the language or date of publication. Assessment of the methodological quality of the included articles and data extraction will be performed. Statistical heterogeneity of meta-analysis will be assessed. In the event of high statistical heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis will be performed. Subgroup analysis will be planned. The certainty of the evidence will be evaluated with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42019136744.

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OBJECTIVE: Human beta-defensins (hBDs) play an important role in the susceptibility to periodontitis. This study aimed to evaluate the levels of hBD-2 and hBD-3 in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of individuals with and without periodontitis. METHODS: Twenty periodontally healthy individuals (H) and 20 with periodontitis (P) were recruited. GCF samples were collected from healthy sites (Hh; n=20) from H individuals; and from healthy sites (Ph; n=20), sites with gingival inflammation but no attachment loss (Pg; n=20) and sites with inflammation and attachment loss (Pp; n=20) from P individuals. Levels of hBDs (pg/mL) were determined using ELISA. Comparisons between individuals and among sites were performed through hierarchical linear modelling. RESULTS: GCF levels [median(Q3-Q1)] of hBD-2 were: Hh=4.80 (0.00-30.69); Ph=33.29 (28.04-38.25); Pg=27.56 (23.14-35.50); and Pp=26.20 (23.20-42.54); and of hBD-3 were: Hh=0.00 (0.00-0.00); Ph=978.44 (760.48-1268.12); Pg=938.19 (806.75- 1266.38); and Pp=613.63 (325.50-854.68). Periodontitis at the individual level was associated with higher levels of hBD-2 (p=0.023) and hBD-3 (p greater than 0.001). No influence of site phenotype was observed on hBDs levels. CONCLUSION: Individuals with periodontitis presented higher levels of hBD-2 and hBD-3 in the GCF. These levels seemed to be influenced by periodontitis at the individual level but not by periodontal site.

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WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: There are no instruments to assess the patient's knowledge of oral anticoagulation with warfarin, in which the performance of the items has been evaluated through the item response theory. To evaluate psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge Test, using the item response theory. METHODS: This methodological study was developed in an anticoagulation clinic of a university hospital with a sample of 201 patients treated with warfarin. The item response theory was used to evaluate questions regarding psychometric properties and the performance of the Brazilian version of the Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge Test items. The unidimensionality hypothesis was analysed by decomposing the polychoric correlation and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. An item characteristic curve of the 20 items of the instrument was made to identify the discrimination power of each item of the performance scale. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Correlations were positive and statistically significant among the 20 items, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.82. The difficulty parameter ranged from -4.14 to 0.42. The discrimination parameter ranged from 0.41 to 1.89. The items regarding drug-drug/drug-food interactions were able to differentiate knowledge about oral anticoagulation with greater accuracy. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: This study is the first that uses this methodology to evaluate the knowledge on oral anticoagulation therapy with warfarin. The evaluation using item response theory showed that the Brazilian version of the Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge Test is suitable for assessing the patient's knowledge of oral anticoagulation with warfarin. Thus, our findings confirmed the utility of this instrument and provided an essential point of reference for the structuring of health education activities that ensure the individualization of educational interventions in patients on warfarin.

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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the prevalence of cavitated dental caries and oral health literacy (OHL), family characteristics and sociodemographic factors in early adolescence. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 740 twelve-year-old students. The students' guardians provided information on sociodemographic data, and the students provided information on family characteristics and OHL. Two trained dentists examined the participants for dental caries and administered the Brazilian version of the Rapid Estimate of Oral Health Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD-30). Control variables were selected using a directed acyclic graph. Descriptive analysis was performed; this was followed by robust Poisson regression analysis for complex samples to evaluate the association between dental caries and socioeconomic and family predictors (α = 5%). RESULTS: The following variables were associated with a greater number of cavitated caries lesions: low level of education completed by the mother (RR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.12-2.24), less privileged social class (RR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.28-2.80), non-White ethnicity (RR = 1.64; 95% CI: 1.0-2.48), larger number of residents in the home (RR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.25-2.81), low level of OHL (RR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.28-3.18), and the 'connected' (RR = 4.72; 95% CI: 1.17-18.90), 'separated' (RR = 4.09; 95% CI: 1.05-15.86) and 'disengaged' (RR = 4.20; 95% CI: 1.09-16.18) types of family cohesion. CONCLUSIONS: A low level of oral health literacy, sociodemographic factors, and a low level of family cohesion are predictors of cavitated caries lesions in early adolescence.

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The aim of this triple-blind randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of diode laser during circumvestibular incisions for Le Fort I osteotomy in orthognathic surgeries in comparison with conventional techniques using electrocautery and scalpel. Patients were randomly allocated to one of three groups based on the technique employed to perform incisions: diode laser, electrocautery, and scalpel. The parameters used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of diode laser were incision velocity, duration of surgery, bleeding rate, alterations in postoperative functions, pain, edema, wound clinical healing, and infection. Thirty patients were enrolled in the study (10 per group). Regarding bleeding, the incisions performed with diode laser promoted a lower bleeding rate compared with scalpel and electrocautery (p = 0.00). The diode surgical laser was effective during the incision procedure, but required a longer time to perform the incisions compared with the other techniques evaluated (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was detected between groups regarding total surgical time or other safety parameters (p > 0.05). Thus, diode laser proved to be effective and safer during circumvestibular incisions for Le Fort I osteotomy than conventional devices.

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BACKGROUND: Individuals diagnosed with a rare genetic disease that affects skeletal development often have physical limitations and orofacial problems that exert an impact on oral health. The aim of the present study was to analyze the possible vulnerability to dental caries in individuals with rare genetic diseases that affect skeletal development. METHODS: A paired cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 140 individuals [70 with rare genetic diseases affecting skeletal development: mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) (n = 29) and osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) (n = 41) and 70 without rare diseases] and their parents/caregivers. The participants in the first group were recruited from two reference hospitals specialized in rare genetic diseases in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. All participants were examined for the evaluation of breathing type, malocclusion, dental anomalies, oral hygiene and dental caries. The parents/caregivers answered a structured questionnaire addressing the individual/behavioral characteristics and medical/dental history of the participants. Statistical analysis involved the chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis for the dependent variable (dental caries) (α = 5%). This study received approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. RESULTS: The mean age of the individuals was 10.34 ± 6.55 years (median: 9.50 years). Individuals with inadequate oral hygiene were 4.70-fold more likely to have dental caries (95% CI: 2.13-10.40) and those with the rare genetic diseases (MPS/OI) were 2.92-fold more likely to have dental caries (95% CI: 1.38-6.17). CONCLUSION: Individuals with inadequate oral hygiene and those with MPS and OI had a greater chance of belonging to the group with dental caries. Based on the present findings, individuals with the rare genetic diseases may be considered vulnerable to caries.

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OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the primary care services carried out by Oral Health Teams (OHTs) in Brazil, and to understand the nuances that lead to different levels of OHT performance. MATERIAL & METHODS: A mixed-methods study with a sequential explanatory design was developed. In the quantitative phase, secondary data from a national survey (PMAQ-AB) was used to describe the work of 12,403 OHTs. Item response theory (IRT) was applied, to evaluate the psychometric qualities of 20 oral health questions from PMAQ-AB and to identify the performance of OHT. The quantitative results guided the selection of the qualitative sample. An extreme case sampling strategy was used (opposite results). OHTs were selected from Belo Horizonte metropolitan region in Brazil using scores measured by IRT. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was conducted using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Quantitative results showed that there are OHT with high and low performance in Brazil. The IRT analysis showed that items related to prostheses and oral cancer tend to discriminate high-performance OHTs from other OHTs. Qualitative results deepened the understanding of accessing oral health services and found several access barriers, such as the insufficient number of OHTs for the population, and a very long waiting time for dental consultations other than urgency. The qualitative results confirmed that high-performance OHTs tend to emphasize oral cancer surveillance and deliver prostheses in PHC services. CONCLUSION: Despite the expansion of oral health in PHC in Brazil in recent years, OHTs still face many challenges such as: access barriers; failures in prevention, early diagnosis and follow-up of oral cancer cases; and insufficient rehabilitation with prostheses.

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OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the development stage of the oral health care network of the Brazilian Unified Health System in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study was conducted with 205 municipal oral health coordinators from the state. Data collection was carried out through a validated questionnaire to analyze the state of development of the oral health care network. Descriptive and cluster analysis were performed, and two clusters were generated. RESULTS: The total median score of the questionnaires classified Minas Gerais as a state with incipient oral health care networks and a minimal capacity to operate such networks, reflected in the predominance of cluster 1 in the sample. There was no statistical association between age, time since graduation, and time spent working as a coordinator and the clusters (Mann-Whitney test). The coordinators' gender and educational level were also not statistically associated with the clusters (Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact, respectively). CONCLUSION: There is a great need to improve the organization of services of the oral health care network in Minas Gerais. This can be done through improvements in its operational structure, as well as investment in management training.

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