ABSTRACT:
The provision of oral health services is a challenge faced by several countries. In Brazil, approximately half of the population uses oral health services through the Unified Health System. Among these services, Primary Health Care Units (PHCU) stand out as the setting where Oral Health Teams (OHT) operate. In 2024, the National Census of Primary Health Care Units of the Unified Health System was conducted, aiming to produce evidence for the monitoring and qualification of services. Thus, this study aims to identify the most frequent individual and collective oral health actions in PHCU. This is a cross-sectional study based on secondary data from the Census. Through an electronic form, PHCU workers and managers completed a questionnaire covering multiple dimensions, including the provision of oral health actions. The responses were analyzed and described using absolute and relative frequencies. A total of 33,404 PHCU with OHT were identified across the Brazilian territory, representing 74.33% of all evaluated units (44938). The most frequent individual promotion and prevention actions were the screening of schoolchildren with timely scheduling and prophylaxis, performed in 23702 (71%) and 29018 (87%) units, respectively. Regarding individual restorative actions, spontaneous demand care (31971; 96%), restorations (31652; 95%), and extractions (31198; 93%) were the most common. The collective action of health education in schools and daycares was carried out in 30289 (91%) units. The findings demonstrate that oral health is integrated into most PHCU, with a robust provision of actions. However, a high frequency of curative treatments is observed compared to prevention and promotion actions. Such evidence highlights the need for strategic planning to strengthen public policies that encourage health promotion and prevention, without neglecting curative treatment when necessary, aiming for comprehensive care in the provision of oral health services.