PERCEPÇÃO DE SUPORTE FAMILIAR DE ADOLESCENTES EM CONFLITO COM A LEI

O Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA) e o Sistema Nacional de Atendimento Socioeducativo (SINASE) definem que a criança e o adolescente que cometem ato infracional são imputáveis, porém passíveis ao cumprimento de medidas socioeducativas. Esta reformulação do modelo do atendimento e o fenômeno da violência juvenil tem assumido uma visibilidade social e acadêmica a partir da crescente problematização da temática, principalmente referente ao aumento dos índices de ato infracional, reincidência do ato infracional e da criminalidade de maneira geral. A partir deste cenário, surgem algumas demandas sobre o papel da família no desenvolvimento dos adolescentes em conflito com a lei. Compreende-se que a família também viveu transformações histórico-sociais e que atualmente foi eleita a assumir os cuidados e responsabilidades de seus membros sem levar em conta as condições de inclusão/exclusão que também sofre. Nesse contexto, a presente pesquisa buscou identificar a percepção de suporte familiar dos adolescentes em cumprimento de medida socioducativa de Liberdade Assistida e Prestação de Serviços à Comunidade em São Bernardo do Campo SP. O processo de coleta dos dados foi dividido em duas etapas distintas, a primeira referiu-se a aplicação do Inventário de Percepção de Suporte Familiar (IPSF), em que 84 adolescentes participaram do estudo, e a segunda etapa referiu-se a realização de entrevistas com cinco adolescentes. Identificou-se uma percepção de suporte familiar na dimensão afetivo-consistente média-alta à médio-baixa, na dimensão adaptação e autonomia familiar baixa à médio-baixa, estes resultados podem indicar certa fragilidade dos vínculos e das relações intra-familiares e uma percepção de inadequação e pouca autonomia na família. A percepção de suporte familiar dos adolescentes em conflito com a lei pode ser compreendida pela dificuldade de imposição de impeditivos e continência por parte da família, não rompendo com os ciclos de violência vivenciado pelos adolescentes e suas família. Desta forma, identifica-se a necessidade de intervenções junto a rede de garantia de direitos que promovam ações no âmbito do fortalecimento dos vínculos comunitários e familiares, podendo assim, instaurar novas possibilidades de vivências entre os adolescentes e suas famílias, em que o Estado, a comunidade e a família juntos se responsabilizam pelo desenvolvimento da criança e do adolescente.

O papel da violência interpessoal compreendida como a manifestação de uma endemia social: uma análise geográfica sobre o fenômeno no Brasil e Rio Grande do Norte

En Brasil, la violencia interpersonal (homicidios) se ha incrementado de forma significativa, convirtiéndose en una preocupación cada vez mayor en todos los ámbitos políticos de la sociedad. Hoy es uno de los más graves problemas sociales y de salud pública. Se refiere a los problemas sociales, ya que interfiere en la distribución de la oferta de bienes y servicios a los ciudadanos; sino también un problema de salud, porque la violencia es uno de los fenómenos que causan gran impacto en la morbilidad y mortalidad del país, y genera un alto costo para el Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Esta es una crisis social, que es el resultado de un mundo capitalista globalizado, que exige a todos sus instrumentos de dominación (dinero, poder y competitividad en estado puro), en virtud del cual la violencia y los conflictos interpersonales se materializan en el territorio. El Río Grande do Norte (RN) ha estado siguiendo esta realidad que es nacional, con el aumento de las tasas de mortalidad por homicidios. En este sentido, este estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar la violencia interpersonal (agresión / homicidio), en Brasil y en el estado del RN, para entender cómo esto afecta a su población, en la morbilidad y mortalidad durante los años 2001 a 2011. Para ambos hicimos uso de método descriptivo / cuantitativo para determinar la magnitud, el tamaño, el perfil de las víctimas y los costos del SUS generados por el problema. Como resultado, podemos diagnosticar que en Brasil, la violencia se ha presentado una nueva dinámica regional, promovida por un proceso de interiorización del fenómeno en todo el país, este proceso de internalización se ha reflejado en la última década, el crecimiento de la violencia en el estado del RN, que ha causado un gran impacto en las tasas de la mortalidad del estado. Acerca la victimización, se puede ver que hay un perfil vulnerable formado por, varón, baja instrucción joven, sola y negro. Con respecto a los datos de morbilidad hospitalaria, la demanda creciente del fenómeno genera costes para el sistema de salud, y las graves consecuencias humanas, como la escalada del miedo y la destrucción de una generación de jóvenes brasileños. Por lo tanto, la falta de una política pública para afrontamiento, prevención y mitigación del problema revela el fracaso de la gestión pública, con consecuencias sociales y de salud, tanto individual como colectivamente.

Rede de atendimento socioeducativo: possibilidades e limites da garantia de direitos

The results of the research systematized on this analysis sought apprehend the linkage of the socio-educational service network, destined to adolescents who comply with socioeducational measure of confinement, in the region of the Seridó of the state of the Rio Grande do Norte, especially in the city of Caicó, central town of this region. The achievement of this study was stimulated by the interest in unraveling the contradictory reality imposed by neoliberal State, sparing the guarantee of rights, especially to these teens, who are seen as authors of violations and are stigmatized by capitalist society. The research was carried in the period July-September 2013, under critical perspective, using the documental analysis and the observational techniques and interviews with professionals of the Educational Center (CEDUC), of the Unified Health System (SUS), of the Social Policies of Social Assistance, and of the State Department of Education, which should make the service network that gravitates around the National System of Socio-educational Services (SINASE). The Statute of Children and Adolescents (ECA) and SINASE define that the application of socioeducational measures cannot occur isolated of the public policies, becoming indispensable the linkages of the system with the social policies of social assistance, education and health. However, it was observed that the neoliberal logic of the capitalist State has developed broken, disconnected, focal and superficial social policies, who fail give effect to the rights acquired beyond the legal sphere. In this perspective, it is possible affirm that the everyday of the Brazilian poor teens is marked by the action of the State, which aims to control those who disturb the order of capital, who threaten the production, the market, the consume and the private property. This way, actions are promoted criminalizing poverty and imprint a legal action over this expression of the social issue to the detriment of social policies that meet the real needs of adolescents. Face of this reality, it becomes necessary to put on the agenda of the here and now to fight for rights, aiming at a broad public debate involving professionals, researchers and social movements in support of the viability of rights, which aims to support reflections and to strengthen ways to confront this social problem. With the approximations of this study, it was learned that the struggle for rights is a fight for another project of society, beyond what is laid.

A reforma psiquiátrica e a política de saúde mental do Rio Grande do Norte: papéis e funções de profissionais e gestores

This study arose from an interest in knowing the reality of mental health care in Rio Grande do Norte (RN) on the advances and challenges in the intersectoral agreements paths and consolidation of the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS) from the state. Considering problematic and concerns were defined as objectives: Identify the knowledge of managers of Rio Grande do Norte on the National Mental Health Policy (PNSM) in the RN State; Describe the activities developed by health professionals in the individual service offered in the CAPS from RN; Understanding the relationship of managers’ knowledge on national mental health policy in professionals’ practice working in the the CAPS from the countryside. It is a descriptive study with a quantitative and qualitative approach, carried out in 30 CAPS from RN’s countryside, where 183 professionals answered a structured questionnaire with closed questions about the activities they do in individual care; and 19 mental health coordinators of municipalities and the state coordinator of RAPS were interviewed about their knowledge on the Mental Health Policy. Data were collected after approval by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, with the number 508.430 CAAE: 25851913.7.0000.5537 from August through October of 2014 in 26 municipalities with CAPS from the state. Quantitative data were tabulated and analyzed using a descriptive statistics aided by the software Statistical Package for the Social Scienses (SPSS) version 20.0. The qualitative data were prepared in a corpus and analyzed through software Analyse Lexicale par Contexte d’um Ensemble de Segments de Texte (ALCESTE) that allow to perform textual statistical analysis and categorization from their comments, submitted to Bardin content analysis. Five categories were generated approaching the managers’ knowledge, namely: Back to society: leadership and users’ role and autonomy; The gap between policy and practice; Barriers that affect the service; Structuring the Psychosocial Care Network; Multidisciplinary team: attribuitios and activities. The CAPS professionals’ ages ranged from 20 to 58 years, prevailing females, with 76.5% of the total, the majority were social workers (16.8%), psychologists (15.3%), nurses (14.8%) and nursing technicians (14.8%). The results showed precariousness in care associated with physical workload regard to high workload and low wages of the CAPS professionals' and, also, it was possible to observe a large involvement of professionals in care delivery, despite the difficulties encountered in services. It was found little knowledge in managers regarding the National Mental Health Policy having as causes of this reality the poor education and training of these professionals. The responses of professionals working in care reveals strong consistency with what is expected of a psychosocial care service. Points up as a thesis of this study that the psychiatric reform and mental health policy in Rio Grande do Norte is following a structural expansion process, but with precariousness of services from a still unprepared management to act in a psychosocial context.

Acompanhamento coletivo do crescimento e desenvolvimento infantil: participação de mães/cuidadores

This study aimed to analyze the participation of mothers/caregivers from the perspective of the health care model that directs the collective monitoring of child growth and development. This is an exploratory and descriptive research with qualitative approach, carried out in two Family Health Units located in the city of Natal/RN. Data were collected between August and September 2014, through participant observation and semi-structured interview technique, with mothers of infants seen at follow-up visits collective child growth and development. A total of 13 mothers were included who met the following inclusion criteria: being a mother/caregiver responsible for the care of children who have attended one or more meeting of collective monitoring of child growth and development. Exclusion criteria was established: users outside the area covered by the Health Unit Family and who did not use the National Health System as the primary health care service. For the treatment of the collected material, the content analysis was used, thematic Bardin. The study followed the ethical and legal principles governing the scientific research on human subjects recommended by Resolution nº. 466/2012 of the National Health Council and its realization occurred with the approval of the project in the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do North, which was approved by Opinion Embodied nº. 719 949, of June 27, 2014, and Certificate Presentation of Findings Ethics No 32510514.7.0000.5537. Although not conceptualize theoretically mothers demonstrated that collective consultations of child growth and development are actions aimed at health surveillance model, since most pointed monitoring your child to actions that can be measured. Even with that, it was established the existence of health promotion actions by reporting the exchange of experience and leadership of the subjects in collective action, factor facilitated by the link established between users and professionals and users. In this action there is the induction of permanent horizontal relationship where we seek to combine popular knowledge to scientific knowledge in order to promote the integral care for the child. However, it is still possible to find professionals who directs its assistance only to pathological processes and fail to create comprehensive care alternatives. In addition, there is still embezzlement in multi that should provide care to the child population. This factor may be related to their professional training, and thus an issue that can last for a few years. We conclude that it is necessary to incorporate alternatives and models of care that support overcoming limitations and enhancing the health of the population, involving it in the prospect of a better quality of life and therefore health.

O atendimento ao idoso na unidade de saúde da família: um estudo de representações sociais

The attention to health issues in aging has increased and it becomes a challenge for public policies directed to the elderly. This study aimed at learning the social representations built by seniors about the service in the Family Health Unit. It is an exploratory study, funded by the Theory of Social Representations of Moscovici. It was held at the Health Unit of the Family Felipe Shrimp, located in the neighborhood Felipe Shrimp in the city of Natal / RN-Brazil. The participants were one hundred and two elderly / as, served by the Family Health Strategy. The data collection period was extended from July to September 2014. Data were collected through the Word Free Association Test and Interview semi-structured, and analyzed with the help of EVOC software. Interviews were conducted with 20 elderly and subjected to content analysis. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University Hospital Research Onofre Lopes, in the opinion 704,323. It was possible to apprehend negative connotations regarding attendance, listing it as bad and disrespectful, and the limited hours of service, difficult to schedule appointments and tests and inadequate infrastructure, the most marked aspects. Seniors express satisfaction with the medical care, however, they understand that it is necessary that all services are properly integrated to a qualified service. The statements reveal that the service in the drive needs to implement new strategies host for users to participate more in educational and health promotion. It is noted, the need of integrated care, the host of qualified hearing in the health services that they address the elderly seeking care at the clinic of the family, so sticking to the principles of the Unified Health System.

A gestão do programa saúde na escola no município de Natal/RN: um estudo de caso

The current conception of health deals with several influential factors, having education among them. Intersectoral organization is essential for Young and adult healthcare services. In this context the Healthcare in School Program was created which foresees a continuous articulation between health and education aiding the effectuation of the Healthcare Single System. The objective of this research is analyze the Healthcare in School Program (HSP) in Natal city in Rio Grande do Norte State taking into consideration the Intersectoriality of actions from the standpoint of the management. The chosen method was the case study, with qualitative approach. The sample was of the intentional kind including all components of the Natal city Intersectorial work group, composed by representatives of the Municipal Education Bureau, the State Education Bureau and Healthcare Municipal Bureau. The collecting data technique was the semi-structured interview. The data analysis was performed through the analysis of contents technique. For Data Show the following analysis categories were considered: Meaning of Intersectoriality; Actions Planning; Permanent and ongoing training for autonomy regarding to Healthcare Promotion; Difficulties and Potentials for actions operationalization. The outcomes allow us to indentify in Natal HSP intersectoral practices not developed yet. The manager professionals of Healthcare and Education do not get to acknowledge the power of Intersectoriality yet. The lack of commitment of some professionals stands out, planning is performed in a sectorial basis and without active participation of learners and community, there is duties accumulation and discouragement group, structural inadequacy and difficulty on the ongoing of the program actions. Despite the existing fragmentation, the program has contributed to the professional qualification and development of education actions regarding to healthcare along with learners. Therefore we conclude that healthcare, education and society have lots of challenges to face in order to consolidate Intersectoriality and the Healthcare in School Program and the and the implementation of the guidelines of the Healthcare Single System in Natal city in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.

Os rumos do fundo público no capitalismo contemporâneo: uma análise sobre o financiamento da Política de saúde no estado do Rio Grande do Norte

This work analizes the financing of Health Policies on the state of Rio Grande Do Norte, starting at the presumption that SUS is “Bombarded” by fiscal ajustments, as a neoliberal strategy to face capital crises.The trafectory of the financing of SUS demands the comprehension of two principles which are, in essence, contradictory: the “principle of universatility”, which is caracterized by the uncompromising defence of the fundaments of the Sanitary Reform, and the “principle of containment of social costs”, articulating the macroeconomic policy that has being developed in Brazil since the 1990s and which substantiantes itself on the 2000s.This last defends the reduction of the social costs, the maintanance of primary surplus and the privatization of public social services. Considering these determinations, the objective of this research constitues in bringing a critical reflection sorrounding the financing of the Health Policies on the state of Rio Grande do Norte, on the period from 2004 to 2012.Starting from a bibliografic and documentary research, it sought out to analyze the budget planning forseen on the Budget Guideline Law (LDO) and on the Multiannual Plans (PPA), investigating the reports of the Court of Auditors of the State of RN and gathering information about expenses with health, available on the System of Information About Public Budgeting in Health (SIOPS).The Analises of the data obtained, in light of the theoretic referece chosen, reveals trends in the public budget setting for health on the State of Rio Grande do Norte, which are: a tiny share of investment expenditure on health, when compared to other expenses, the amount used in daily fees and advertising; the high expense in personnel expenses, especially for hiring medical cooperatives;the strong dependence of the state on revenue transferences from the Union; the aplication of resources in actions of other nature considered as health, in exemple of the expenditures undertaken by the budgeting unit Supplying Center S/A (CEASA) on the function of health and subfunction of prophylactic and therapeutic and on the Popular Pharmacy program. Since 2006, expenses refering to Regime Security Servers (RPPA) on the area of health also have being considered as public actions and services in health for constitutional limit ends, beyond the inconsistencies on the PPAs with the actions performed efectively.

Serviços-escola de psicologia do Rio Grande do Norte: formação profissional e política pública de saúde em debate

The Psychology University Services is stablished normatively as an indispensable equipment to the recognition of the graduation courses of psychologists by the Brazilian Education Ministery. The Public Healthcare Policies (Universal Health System/SUS) constitutes itself as a input field of the professional category, but shows huge challenges in the formation of these professionals. The objective of this work is to analyse the functioning of the Psychology University Services (SEP) and the Superior Educational Institutions from Natal, understood as important formation devices to attend the actual demands of the psychologist's work on SUS. For this, it sought a) characterize the psychological practices developed in the SEP; b) relate the National Curricular Lines of Direction of the psychology courses to the skills and competences developed in the SEP to the performance on the public healthcare policies; c) mapping ways of including the SEP in the network designed by the healthcare policy. Interviews were performed with 13 academic supervisors, 8 field supervisors and technicians of superior level (TNC), along with 9 managers, being for of the Psychology University Services and 5 of the graduation programs. Questionnaires were also applied to 57 interns and 24 graduates. Besides that, two conversation circles were performed with the faculty and technician members from two of the Educational Institutions that were participating of the research, as well as a workshop with students and psychologists, promoted by the CRP 17. We observed that most part of the faculty members and managers know the DCN and comprehend that the formation is in process of change in what concerns to the extension of the formation to the performance of the psychologists in various contexts. However, most part of the TNC don't know about them. Moreover, the results point to the predominance of the assisting model based on the traditional clinic psychology, although the articulation with the public healthcare and social assistance networks can already be timidly visualized. Different modalities of practices in theses Psychology University Services were also detected, such as conversation groups, thematic workshops, organizational consultancies, team meetings with the interns and TNS in a daily basis, matriciament in mental health, therapeutic monitoring, among others. Yet, the SEP in Rio Grande do Norte are still isolated from the other courses that perform in the healthcare area and also from the services that compose the public healthcare and public policies.

Near miss materno e iniquidades em saúde: análise de determinantes contextuais no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

The scope of this study was to identify socioeconomic contextual and health care factors in primary care associated with maternal near misses and their marker conditions. This is an ecological study that used aggregated data of 63 clusters formed by the municipalities of State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, using the Skater method of area regionalization, as the unit of analysis. The ratio of maternal near misses and their marker conditions were obtained from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System. In multiple linear regression analysis, there was a significant association between maternal near misses and variables of poverty and poor primary health care. Hypertensive disorders were also associated with poverty and poor primary care and the occurrence of hemorrhaging was associated with infant mortality. It was observed that the occurrence of maternal near misses is linked to unfavorable socioeconomic conditions and poor quality health care that are a reflection of public policies that accentuate health inequalities.

Near miss materno e iniquidades em saúde: análise de determinantes contextuais no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

The scope of this study was to identify socioeconomic contextual and health care factors in primary care associated with maternal near misses and their marker conditions. This is an ecological study that used aggregated data of 63 clusters formed by the municipalities of State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, using the Skater method of area regionalization, as the unit of analysis. The ratio of maternal near misses and their marker conditions were obtained from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian Unified Health System. In multiple linear regression analysis, there was a significant association between maternal near misses and variables of poverty and poor primary health care. Hypertensive disorders were also associated with poverty and poor primary care and the occurrence of hemorrhaging was associated with infant mortality. It was observed that the occurrence of maternal near misses is linked to unfavorable socioeconomic conditions and poor quality health care that are a reflection of public policies that accentuate health inequalities.

Reflexões metodológicas sobre prevalência da fluorose dentária nos inquéritos de saúde bucal

OBJETIVO: Analizar limitaciones del estudio de fluorosis dentaria en pesquisas transversales. MÉTODOS: Se utilizaron datos de estudios de de Condiciones de Salud Bucal de la Población Brasileña (SBBrasil 2003) y de la Investigación Nacional de la Salud Bucal (SBBrasil 2010). La estimativa de tendencia epidemiológica de la fluorosis en la población de 12 años, aspectos de la confiabilidad de los datos, así como la precisión de las estimativas, fueron evaluadas en estas dos investigaciones. La distribución de la prevalencia de la fluorosis fue hecha de acuerdo con los dominios de estudio (capitales y regiones) y el año estudiado. Se expresaron también los intervalos de confianza (IC95%) para la prevalencia simple (sin considerar las fases de la gravedad). RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de la fluorosis dentaria presentó una variación considerable, de 0 a 61% en 2003 y de 0 a 59% en 2010. Se observaron inconsistencias en los datos en términos individuales (por año y por dominio) y en el comportamiento de la tendencia. Considerando la expectativa de prevalencia y los datos disponibles en las dos investigaciones, el tamaño mínimo de la muestra debería ser de 1.500 individuos para obtener intervalos de 3,4% y 6,6% de confianza, considerando un coeficiente de variación mínimo de 15%. Dada la subjetividad en la naturaleza de su clasificación, exámenes de fluorosis dentaria pueden presentar más variación de los realizados para otras condiciones de salud bucal. El poder para establecer diferencias entre los dominios del estudio con la muestra de SBBrasil 2010 es bastante limitado. CONCLUSIONES: No fue posible analizar la tendencia de la fluorosis dentaria en Brasil con base en los estudios de 2003 y 2010; esos datos son sólo indicadores exploratorios de la prevalencia de la fluorosis. La comparación se hace imposible por el hecho de haber sido utilizado modelos de análisis diferentes en las dos pesquisas. La investigación de la fluorosis dentaria en pesquisas de base poblacional no es viable técnica y económicamente, la realización de estudios epidemiológicos localizados con plan de muestreo es más adecuada.

Projeto SB Brasil 2010: elemento estratégico na construção de um modelo de vigilância em saúde bucal

O projeto começou a ser pensado no âmbito do Comitê Técnico Assessor (CTA) em Vigilância em Saúde Bucal do Ministério da Saúde desde abril de 2009. Foi submetido à consulta pública durante o mês de junho de 2009, resultando em uma participação significativa de diversos setores em seu processo de construção. Desde então, foi formado um Grupo Gestor que, por intermédio de oito Centros Colaboradores localizados nas diversas regiões do país, tem conduzido o projeto a partir de oficinas de trabalho nos estados e treinamento das equipes de campo.

Projeto SB Brasil 2010: elemento estratégico na construção de um modelo de vigilância em saúde bucal

O projeto começou a ser pensado no âmbito do Comitê Técnico Assessor (CTA) em Vigilância em Saúde Bucal do Ministério da Saúde desde abril de 2009. Foi submetido à consulta pública durante o mês de junho de 2009, resultando em uma participação significativa de diversos setores em seu processo de construção. Desde então, foi formado um Grupo Gestor que, por intermédio de oito Centros Colaboradores localizados nas diversas regiões do país, tem conduzido o projeto a partir de oficinas de trabalho nos estados e treinamento das equipes de campo.

Construção e validação do instrumento de investigação do conhecimento de gestantes sobre sua saúde bucal e a do seu bebê: perspectiva do cuidado em saúde

INTRODUCTION: Humanized and quality prenatal and post-partum care is critical to maternal and newborn health, as well as oral health care. Currently, the National Oral Health Policy is aiming at expanding dental care for pregnant women. Thus, the promotion of oral health and attention to prenatal care policies should be integrated; however, there is still limited participation of pregnant women. Thus, it is necessary to verify the knowledge of pregnant women related to oral health, seeking to estimate the quality of dental care provided during prenatal care, being essential for the Family Health strategy to organize personnel, plan costs and to ensure the quality standard of care. OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a research instrument on the knowledge of pregnant women about their oral health and of their baby. METHOD: This is a construction and validation study with 93 pregnant women in Family Health Units and specialized private clinics in Obstetrics, in the city of Natal / RN. It was authorized by the Onofre Lopes University Hospital Ethics Committee of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) under the registration number 421.163/13. The construction of the instrument followed steps so that it was valid, reliable and sensitive: creation and reduction of the items (drafting of the instrument), content validity and testing of the instrument, and hypotheses validation. Once constructed, the instrument was evaluated by experts who suggested modifications. There was consultation with the target population about the new version of the created instrument, which had the instrument validation verified by internal consistency through intra and inter-calibration and test-retest. Next, the hypotheses were validated. A database was built in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22.0. After creating the hypotheses, an association was found for validating the criteria between each of the specific issues for each established criteria, considering a 5% significance level. Data analysis was carried out by describing the absolute and relative frequencies of the variables pertaining to issues relating to their pregnancy knowledge about their oral health and their baby. The Kappa coefficient was used for the calibration process (Inter and Intra-examiner calibration) and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to analyze instrument reproducibility (test-retest). In addition, the chi-square test was used to cross the dependent variable with the (dichotomized) independent variables. RESULTS: The intra and inter agreement analysis presented a Kappa coefficient between 0.400 and 1.000. Internal consistency through the analysis showed that 90% of the instrument's questions showed great reliability in the answers (Cronbach α ˃ 0.7). In the investigation of the relationship between the dependent variable (knowledge about oral health) and the independent variables (trimester of pregnancy, education, income and multiparous), it was found that none of these independent variables were significantly associated. All hypotheses had their Ho confirmed. CONCLUSION: The constructed instrument was validated, considering that it showed to be sensitive with good reliability and good accuracy, and therefore can be used to assess pregnant women’s knowledge about their oral health and the oral health of their baby.