Keywords
Health promotion
Child care
Public health
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Abstract
Objective: To report the experience of Baby Dental Clinics in Fortaleza/CE, highlighting advances, challenges faced, and contributions to children’s oral health. Experience report: The record considered the trajectory between 2017 and 2024, through the experience of multidisciplinary teams and pediatric dentists linked to the city’s Health Units. Initially restricted to educational and preventive actions, since 2021 the clinics have also been providing curative treatments. Currently, five units operate regionally, expanding access and strengthening comprehensiveness of care. The main challenges included shortage of supplies, difficulties recording activities, and irregular family adherence, in addition to the need for greater investment in continuing education. Among the advances, expansion of access, strengthening of the bond between families and professionals, social recognition of the service’s relevance, and awareness of the importance of oral health from the first months of life stand out. Final considerations: The Baby Dental Clinic has been consolidated as an innovative space for promotion of children’s oral health, with potential to be replicated in other contexts. The experience highlights the relevance of initiatives aimed at early prevention and multiprofessional work within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).
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