Souza, Georgia C.Lopes, Maria Luiza Diniz de SousaRoncalli, Angelo GiuseppeMedeiros-Junior, A.Costa, Iris do Ceu Clara2016-07-072016-07-072015SOUZA, Georgia C. et al. Referência e contra referência em saúde bucal: regulação do acesso aos centros de especialidades odontológicas. Revista de Salud Publica, v. 17, n. 3, p. 416-428, 2015.https://repositorio.ufrn.br/jspui/handle/123456789/20861Objective Based on the system of reference and counter-reference and comprehensiveness in oral health care, we aimed to examine ways of refering users to Specialized Dental Care Centers (SDCC) and the interface between them and Primary Care. Methods This is a cross-sectional study carried out with users and dentists of SDCC in a metropolitan region of Northeast of Brazil. Analyses were descriptive, and the association test was done with chi-square. Results Six forms of entry to specialized service were identified: free demand (13.8 %) and reference by the Primary Care dentist (63.2 %) were most frequent. Users referred by the basic health unit dentist had more interest in making a counter-reference than the others (p<0.001, PR=4.65, 95 % CI: 2.74 to 7.91), while individuals without this referral had 1.49 times more difficulty obtaining care (95 % CI: 1.02 to 2.17). Referral procedures are a decisive factor for counter-references. However, the high demand for primary care services and the short supply these services can offer in the face of needs make SDCC performance difficult. Conclusion The analysis of oral health practices from the perspective of network modeling points to the service's need to establish protocols for regulation in a bid to improve access to and the quality of care provided.Acesso AbertoAvaliação de serviços de saúdeServiços de saúde bucalAcesso aos serviços de saúdeHealth services evaluationDental health servicesHealth services accessibilityarticle