Government management and quality of dental services in infants: A structured narrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21502778Keywords:
government management, dental services, quality of care, access to health services, children's healthAbstract
The quality of dental services for children depends on multiple factors: public policies, financial protection, effective access, organization, and the system's capacity to maintain adequate care. This review analyzed and synthesized the evidence on the relationship between government management and the quality of children's dental care, integrating the dimensions of public policy and financial protection; access and utilization; organization and continuity; experience and satisfaction; and institutional capacity (human resources and infrastructure). A structured narrative review with categorical synthesis of 25 articles was conducted. The studies were grouped into five analytical categories and, based on their proximity to the child population, were classified as 13 with direct evidence, 4 with partial evidence, and 8 with indirect evidence. The findings show that the existence of policies, programs, or financial benefits does not guarantee the effective use of services. Access and utilization vary according to socioeconomic, territorial, functional, and institutional conditions. The organization and continuity of care are implemented through heterogeneous programmatic and operational mechanisms. Perceived quality, satisfaction, experience, and intention to return are related but not equivalent constructs. Institutional capacity reveals inequalities in the availability and distribution of human resources, support staff, infrastructure, equipment, and diagnostic capacity. It is concluded that the relationship between government management and the quality of pediatric dental care is multidimensional and heterogeneous; therefore, its analysis requires addressing the aforementioned dimensions together and distinguishing directly pediatric evidence from partial or contextual evidence.
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