The waiting period for dental care by SUS in Porto Alegre can be up to 4 years | Rio Grande do Sul

“Is he there [fila] Now about four years for root canal treatment. Today it is our longest waiting list, including for medical specialties,” says Porto Alegre Primary Health Care Director, Caroline Schirmer.

In Porto Alegre there are only five dentists for root canal treatment. The Secretariat stated that it was working to strengthen the staff.

During the pandemic, the problem was exacerbated by the interruption of services for many specialties for a period.

According to the Regional Dental Council, the situation has worsened even more with The extinction of the Municipal Institute for Family Health Strategy (Imesf).

“On the grounds that Imesf, which was from the previous government, was illegal and led to the dismissal of more than 100 dental surgeons in the public network. But this has not been replaced, and the appointment of specialists is now done in a slow and gradual way” says Chairman Nelson Freitas Igoya.

The municipality says that the extinction of Imesf has not led to a reduction in staff, from 2019 to 2022 there was a 50% increase in oral health teams. “There were 120 dentists to 180 dentists with the new implanted model,” he highlights.

The Ministry of Health says there is no delay in the simplest care, such as cleaning and restoration. And this demand for these services is low, even at gas stations that are open at night.