Equity and provision of public dental services in the State of Parana, Southern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between socioeconomic indicators of provision of public dental services and allocation of financial resources in health and to identify whether this association reinforced the promotion of vertical equity. METHODS: A cross-sectional ecological study was conducted based on data obtained from the Brazilian Ministry of Health data system for 399 cities in the State of Parana (Southern Brazil) between 1998 and 2005. Socioeconomic condition was measured by the Human Development Index in the cities studied, as well as by some indicators of income, education and sanitation, which were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics database. Data were analyzed using nonparametric statistical tests: Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, Friedman and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: A redistribution trend of federal resources for primary health care in municipalities was seen. The provision of dental health services increased after the government launched the Family Health Strategy. An expanded provision of dental procedures was reported during the study period with a pro-equity trend of the utilization of dental services in primary health care. CONCLUSIONS: There was seen a redistribution or pro-equity trend in the provision of dental services in the state of Parana with higher per capita provision of resources or services in cities with the lowest socioeconomic indicators. This trend is consistent with the recent programmatic guidelines of the Brazilian Ministry of Health.