Abstract Access to, and use of, dental healthcare services in Brazil is known as a common challenge for Brazilian residents. Although it is known to be the only country in the world to have a system of free and universal public health, “Sistema Único de Saúde” (unified health system), it is a flawed system that prevents the people of Brazil from gaining proper oral health care. Brazil has one of the largest concentrations of dentists per capita in the world, however, local factors such as location, socioeconomic levels of the population, cultural and epidemiological characteristics pose as additional barriers for people trying to seek dental healthcare. The World Health organization estimated in 2004 that Brazil had the highest number of dentists …show more content…
The health care system in Brazil is dynamic and complex as it is the only country in the world to have a system of free and universal public health. The SUS, Sistema Único de Saúde (unified health system), is a fundamental structure for healthcare in Brazil, as the majority of Brazilians are not able to access the private system. The "Política Nacional de Saúde Bucal" - PNSB (Oral Health National Policy) was created in 1989. It stated that the dental care system should be structured to offer primary care services to all of the population according to the principles of the SUS. However, priority was given to the age group from 6 to 12 years because of the eruption of permanent teeth and because of the efficiency of educational attitudes and topical preventives at this stage. By giving priority to that specific group, it offended the constitutional right to equal and universal access of the entire population to health services. The national policy of oral health, known as Smiling Brazil ("Brasil Sorridente"), was then implemented in 2004. Oral health was designated as 1 of the 4 priority areas of the SUS, “transforming” oral health care in Brazil, with the objective that the SUS achieve the integrality of care originally envisioned. Statistics show that the Brazilian Government's Oral Health Program (within the SUS) is an effective effort to reach the first prevention level. Conversely, “in spite of the social policies undertaken and some favorable economic factors, more centers and more specialists must still be better distributed over the country's different regions in order to achieve a better balance in oral care health to the population as a whole” (Pedrazzi et al.
Globalisation has been crucial to the economic and social development of Brazil. In the late twentieth century Brazil face years of economic, political and social instability experiencing high inflation, high income inequality and rapidly growing poverty. However after a change of government in the 1990s and large structural changes in both the economic and social landscapes, the brazilian economy has been experiencing a growing middle class and reduced income gap. Since the start of the 21st century, brazil has benefitted from the move to a more global economy.
It is an assumption by many that Canada has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. But do they really? There are numerous health services in Canada which should be part of the universal care nonetheless are not. These include but are not limited to: dental care, vision care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and prescription drug coverage. This report will solely focus on why basic dental care should be a part of the Canadian universal healthcare. Dental care is predominantly delivered in the private sector on a fee-for-service basis, with approximately 62.6% of Canadians paying for care through employment-based insurance and 31.9% through out-of-pocket expenditures and only a small amount of the Canadians, 5.5%, are qualified for public funding through government assistance programmes (Ramraj and Quinonez, 2012). It was seen that by 2009, dental coverage affordability became a problem not just for the low income families but also impacted middle-income earners as a result of their lack of, or decreased access to comprehensive dental insurance (Ramraj, 2013). It is stated by the World Health Organization that universal health care coverage should reassure access to necessary care and protect patients from financial hardship, and that the governments are obligated to
(1) LOW INCOME AND LACK OF INSURANCE: A number of studies have linked poor oral health with low socioeconomic status. Affordability is identified as major challenge in accessing dental care. “For instance, 17.3 per cent of the whole population (i.e., approximately
In the Dental Hygiene field, many challenges come about every day and during different situations. Every day there are new challenges and unusual situations that occur in the dental field, but one challenge that continues to come about and has been a big dispute over the years is the ability to provide beneficial information about oral health care for the underprivileged. For the individuals that are not fortunate enough to pay to have services done in the dental office, lack the knowledge of how important good oral health care is. They do not receive the one on one conversations explaining the significance of taking care of your teeth and gums that the patients who can afford to make appointments and receive essential services do. That
In recent years, the number of Americans who are uninsured has reached over 45 million citizens, with millions more who only have the very basic of insurance, effectively under insured. With the growing budget cuts to medicaid and the decreasing amount of employers cutting back on their health insurance options, more and more americans are put into positions with poor health care or no access to it at all. At the heart of the issue stems two roots, one concerning the morality of universal health care and the other concerning the economic effects. Many believe that health care reform at a national level is impossible or impractical, and so for too long now our citizens have stood by as our flawed health-care system has transformed into an unfixable mess. The good that universal healthcare would bring to our nation far outweighs the bad, however, so, sooner rather than later, it is important for us to strive towards a society where all people have access to healthcare.
Health care in Brazil became a major issue between the years 1985-1988 (Nascimento, 2013). The citizens took notice that a large gap between health care services provided to the wealthy and services provided to the rest of the population existed. Health care in Brazil became a right to all citizens in 1988 and the Sistema Unico de Saude- SUS (Unified Health Care System) was established (Nascimento, 2013). Citizens are able to purchase private insurance provided that they can afford it. The Brazilian health care system is funded by the government through social security, taxes, and those employed by the government. This system was instituted during a time in the nation’s history that was politically and economically unstable. The Family health Program was established in 1994 (Nascimento, 2013). Preventative care is this primary focus of this program. The government sets up community health centers that are financed through the government. Nurses, primary care physicians, and medical assistants. The program is commended for being efficient. The program solves 85% of health related problems (Nascimento, 2013). Cost, quality, and access to care still remain a challenge to the Brazilian health care system. Although improvements have been made, impacts on women and maternal child health, the elderly, and increasing cases of many non-communicable diseases create many disparities.
Since everyone wants good teeth to be able to eat and speak, dental insurance is as crucial as life insurance coverage plans as well as house insurance and car insurance. (Klapp par.1) While in 22 states they have no need for coverage and in six states only have emergency coverage and another 16 states does not cover preventative services on teeth. (Wallace par.1) insurance companies have jumped on having dental insurance due to them realizing that it is need by individuals who are not covered by their job or company. ( “Vital” par.6) when you are covered you have many benefits such as free procedures. To m...
One of the most commonly debated topics in recent American history has been that of health care. Would Americans be able to reap more benefits if individuals continue to be independent in their pursuits of health care, or would it be beneficial for all if the government introduced more regulations regarding health care, changing our system to resemble those of other developed countries? As more solutions are offered, it becomes harder for people to reach a consensus on the best way to approach this issue. Despite this, America must decide what system of healthcare will benefit the most citizens and improve the quality of life the most. It is becoming increasingly apparent that a universal healthcare system would be the most effective and
Each country in today’s world has their own growth and their own dental care system. As you can see in appendix 5 and 6 you will see “Scorecard assessment of state of evidence for action, leadership, resources and health systems in important areas of oral health”(Beaglehole Pg 90). The global scale is organized in 3 categories high income, middle income and low income countries. High income countries world population is on...
Background: According to Canadian Health Measures Survey on latest oral health, approximately 62% of Canadian had private dental insurance. About 50% of the respondents from the lower income class do not have any dental insurance while 78% of the respondents with higher income section had private dental insurance coverage. Half of low-income individuals without dental insurance will pay for dental care expenses by themselves for them and their families. Additionally, 53% of respondents between the age of 60 and 79 were also not covered by any dental insurance. This indicates, that most Canadians will get private dental insurance when they are capable to afford it (i.e. high income). Whereas, half of low income and more than half seniors lack any dental insurance to receive dental care (1).
Brazil is a diverse and enormous country. There are large, medium and small sized aities that stretch from coast. From Brazilian cit...
Petersen, P. E. (2009). Global policy for improvement of oral health in the 21st century–implications to oral health research of World Health Assembly 2007, World Health Organization. Community dentistry and oral epidemiology, 37(1), 1-8.
In Portugal there is an uneven provision of health care. Health care available ranges from high quality to that prevalent in the Third World. Many Portuguese, especially those living in rural areas, are not able to enjoy liberal health benefits provided for in legislation. Infant mortality rate as greatly improved in the last few decades to an estimated rate of 6.05 per 1,000 in 1992. Life expectancy is seventy-one years for males and seventy-eight for females in 1992.
While the economy system is not stable you never know what might happen tomorrow. As a result people are trying to save as much money as possible. In the same time everyone's body needs remain the same. It is necessary to take care of our health, especially of our teeth health. But when the time to act comes many of us have doubts about the real necessity of treating some small dental defects, considering the high prices.
Not only does good oral health benefit a person socially but it also helps them economically. Following proper oral care prevents the need for treatment of dental problems such as fillings, tooth extractions, etc. These oral problems can result in treatments with costly bills. But by comparison, the cost of performing basic oral hygiene and preventive teeth cleaning is relatively low (Oral-B).