Abstract
Considering that emergency dental services include the referral network and the counter-referral network, interacting at the intersection between primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare, this study aims to describe the interface between primary healthcare (APS – Atenção Primária a Saúde), particularly of the Family Health Strategy, and secondary care in oral health, using the Emergency Dental Services (SOU), in the municipality of Recife. It is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive case study. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Classical ALCESTE analysis was used based on the Descending Hierarchical Classification Dendrogram, making it possible to understand the expressions and each one of the words spoken by the dental health professionals, analyzing them using their social places and contexts as a starting point. What we found was only a fragile degree of integration, and little capacity for solution, between the levels of care – a partially disconnected network. Undoubtedly the problems with the interface between primary care and the emergency services in oral health are multiple and complex. The individual solutions have low efficacy, and are complex in their operation.
Key words
Healthcare network; Oral health; Emergency; Oral health services