Perceptions about the Struggles of the Brazilian Social Movements for Oral Health

Objective: To present the perceptions of participants of social movements and users of the Brazilian Public Health Service (SUS) about the struggles for the inclusion of oral health in the social movements in Brazil. Method: Interviews were performed with people considered as references in the construction of knowledge of the area, Brazilian Public Health Service users and/or participants of social movements. The sample was composed by using the informant network technique (snowball), in which one interviewed indicates the other, thus generating a network with 19 participants. It was an exploratory and descriptive study using a qualitative methodology and content analysis in order to reach a particular and deep understanding of the phenomenon. The responses to the interviews were analyzed and categorized. Results: The main categories found were: a) apartness?; b) Need of approximation: the mouth gains voice and Dentistry?; c) Organizations related to the dental category. The review of literature and the speeches did not reveal social movements or organizations specifically engaged in the inclusion of oral health. The attitude of social movements regarding oral health was perceived as clientelist, in such a way that no engagement in its defense was reported, only isolated claims for dental assistance. Conclusion: A clientelist attitude still prevails among the social movements with respect to oral health, which does not present as a struggling goal by their engaged members. An approximation of this category with the social movements would permit the widening and strengthening of oral health actions in the Brazilian Public Health Service.