The dental care must be driven by preventive and curative measures that can contribute to the population's oral health promotion.

To evaluate the impact of the actions proposed by a comprehensive dental care protocol (CDCP) on the oral health condition of primary care users.

The sample consisted of 32 volunteers, assisted throughout the six phases proposed by the CDCP: diagnosis of dental needs; resolution of urgencies; restorative interventions; application of promotional measures; evaluation of the achieved health level; and periodic controls. Data were collected through clinical exams, which measured the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), gingival bleeding index (GBI) and the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) Index, before and after the CDCP was implemented. Statistical analysis consisted of the Wilcoxon test, at 5% significance level (α = 0.05).

The OHI-S and GBI indices showed a significant reduction (p < 0.05) from the initial (1.4 ± 0.6 and 46.3 ± 19.9) to final condition (0.9 ± 0.3 and 21.5 ± 7.5). The decayed, missing and filled teeth and the missing teeth component were not significantly altered (p > 0.05), showing final values equal to 12.7 ± 9.6 and 5.6 ± 7.8, respectively. Decayed elements were fully converted into filled elements, and the final values of the decayed and filled elements were, respectively, 0.0 ± 0.0 and 7.3 ± 5.7 (p < 0.05).

The enactment of the CDCP had a beneficial effect on the oral health of the population assisted by the dental services offered in primary care and this protocol seems to fit the public dental service demands.

The CDCP can be useful to public dental service planning since it showed an efficient clinical outcome to the patients. We consider that this protocol should be employed in primary care oral health services in order to achieve overall upgrade, access enlargement and public oral health promotion.

Cavalcanti YW, de Fátima Dantas de Almeida L, de Souza Barbosa A, Padilha WWN. Planning Oral Health and Clinical Discharge in Primary Care: The Comprehensive Dental Care Protocol Outcome. J Contemp Dent Pract 2015;16(3):172-177.