Work conditions and occupational health of dentists in Brazilian Public Health System

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: work healthy conditions are essential for a great professional performance. OBJECTIVE: To verify the perception of dentists regarding structural and healthy conditions of dental offices in the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) and their satisfaction with work and public job. Material and METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, type inquiry, 24 Brazilian dentists were interviewed. The follow variables were asked: cleaning and asepsis; maintenance and time of use of dental equipment; satisfaction with work and public job. RESULTS: The professionals were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with cleaning and asepsis (66.67%); Dental equipment (54.17%), reflectors (54.17%) and the dental chairs (54.17%) had more than 24 years of use; 20% of all professionals said that the equipment had maintenance but only to fix them. Of total, 58.33% had already given no attendance for patients and broken equipment was the most frequent cause (92.86%). It was observed satisfaction with work (79.1%) and public job (95.83%). It was concluded that dentists who worked in SUS were satisfied with public job, although they had said the need for improvement on structural and healthy work conditions