Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Primary Health Care in Brazil. Methodology: This retrospective ecological study was carried out using Brazilian municipality data obtained from the information systems of the National Public Health System. The outcomes were medical appointments, prenatal procedures and diabetes care. The exposure variable was the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the first case reported in Brazil. Multilevel mixed-effects negative binomial regression was used to analyze the association between the number of procedures per 10,000 inhabitants and COVID-19. Results: Data from 5,564 Brazilian municipalities were included in the present study. Regarding medical appointments, the largest reduction occasioned by the pandemic occurred in May (IRR = 0.27, 95%CI 0.24 – 0.30). Prenatal procedures were reduced by 65% (IRR = 0.35, 95%CI 0.32 – 0.38), also in May. In addition, diabetes care saw the biggest reductions in April 2020 (IRR = 0.24, 95%CI 0.11 – 0.53) and May 2020 (IRR = 0.19, 95%CI 0.09 – 0.43). From February to December 2020, the pandemic had a significant effect on the total number of procedures evaluated. Conclusion: The findings showed a reduction in prenatal procedures, diabetes and medical consultations performed in Brazil's Primary Health Care, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The present study aimed to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental care procedures in the Public Health System in Brazil. A retrospective, ecological study was carried out, comprising 5,564 Brazilian municipalities. The number of dental procedures (per 100,000 inhabitants) performed in the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) was the outcome. The impact of the pandemic was estimated by comparing the rate of procedures for each month of 2020 with the rates observed in the equivalent months in 2019, considering the period from March to August. Regulatory legislation regarding restrictions on dental care, issued by the state governments of 27 Brazilian federative units, was used for mediation analysis. A 55% reduction was observed in March for all procedures (IRR = 0.45, 95%CI 0.39-0.51), while in the other months, the rate of reduction remained ≥ 88%. The biggest decrease was observed in collective preventive procedures (reduction ≥99%) between April and August. Procedures that were less likely to generate aerosols (tooth extraction and prosthetic) and emergencies showed the smallest reduction. The reduction was not mediated by the restrictions imposed by state governments (p>0.05). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was noteworthy in terms of the decrease in the number of dental procedures carried out in the Brazilian Public Dental Service. The lack of access, the delay of elective procedures and the lack of preventive collective procedures could result in an overburdened system, post-Pandemic.

Resumo Estudo de tendência temporal com o objetivo de avaliar as desigualdades no tabagismo e no consumo abusivo de álcool, considerando a escolaridade como proxy de nível socioeconômico, de acordo com sexo e regiões brasileiras. Foram utilizados dados do Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico (Vigitel) coletados entre 2006 e 2017. Os desfechos foram o consumo abusivo de bebidas alcoólicas e o fumo. As desigualdades foram avaliadas com base na escolaridade, com dupla estratificação por sexo e regiões brasileiras. Para avaliar a tendência das prevalências dos desfechos e suas desigualdades foi usada a regressão linear ponderada pelos quadrados mínimos da variância. A prevalência de consumo abusivo de álcool aumentou em mulheres, de 7,8% (2006) para 12,2% (2017), e foi maior sempre entre os mais escolarizados. A prevalência de tabagismo diminuiu para homens e mulheres e foi maior sempre entre os menos escolarizados. A desigualdade no consumo de álcool entre os grupos de escolaridade parece ter aumentado ao longo do tempo, com maior magnitude entre as mulheres, mas a desigualdade no tabagismo parece estar diminuindo. Em algumas regiões do país, as medidas de desigualdade sugerem estabilidade e em outras um aumento da desigualdade para o consumo de álcool (Sudeste, Sul e Centro-oeste, entre as mulheres) e diminuição para o tabagismo (todas as regiões, exceto Sudeste, entre os homens; Nordeste e Centro-oeste, entre as mulheres). Apesar dos avanços na redução do tabagismo, as desigualdades na escolaridade persistem e estão presentes também em relação ao álcool. Os desfechos têm comportamentos opostos, portanto, estratégias devem ser focadas em cada um dos problemas, a fim de reduzir as desigualdades existentes.

The aim of the study is: (a) investigate the racial inequalities as one specific dimension that affects dental pain in Brazilian adolescents; and (b) investigate the regional variations of dental pain. This cross-sectional study used data from Brazilian National Survey of School Health (PeNSE), carried out with adolescents in 2009, 2012 and 2015. Dental pain was evaluated through the question: “Did you have dental pain in the last six months?”. The main exposures were race and Brazilian regions, used to evaluate inequalities related to the outcome. Sex, age, school type and maternal education were used as covariables. The statistical significance of the trends in dental pain was tested using linear regression. The analysis was conducted in Stata 13.0 statistical package using the svy command. The standard prevalence of dental pain was 18.8%, 21.1% and 23.7%, showing an increasing trend over time (p < 0.001). We observed absolute inequalities in dental pain related to race and regions. A higher prevalence was found in non-white girls of public schools and in the Northern Region. The indexes of inequalities increased in the group of black girls, related to an increase of dental pain predominantly in girls whose mothers had lower educational level. It was observed that the prevalence of dental pain in Brazilian adolescents increased over time as well as its inequalities, which remained in marginalized populations and linked to Brazilian regions.