Dental implant provision in Brazil’s unified health system: an observational study of temporal trends (2010–2023)

Tooth loss remains a global public health concern, impacting quality of life and reflecting inequalities in access to dental care. In Brazil, despite significant advances in preventive measures, edentulism remains prevalent. Since 2010, the Ministry of Health has financed osseointegrated dental implants through the Unified Health System ( Sistema Único de Saúde , SUS ); however, the implementation of this policy has occurred in a context of marked regional inequalities, which may influence the public provision and distribution of such procedures. This study analyzes the temporal evolution of the supply of osseointegrated dental implant procedures performed by the SUS in Brazilian municipalities from 2010 to 2023, as well as their correlation with municipal socioeconomic variables. This time-series study used secondary data on implant production obtained from the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System, conducted in accordance with the RECORD (REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected Data) statement. Data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI), and Gini Index were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Multilevel linear regression analyses were performed to assess temporal trends in implant production, and Spearman’s correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between implant ratios and municipal indicators. A stationary trend was observed in implant provision over the study period ( p = 0.69). The Southern region recorded the highest absolute number of implants, followed by the Northeastern region. An inverse correlation was observed between implant rates and municipal indicators: GDP (rs = − 0.481), MHDI (rs = − 0.251), and Gini Index (rs = − 0.510). Dental implant production through the SUS showed an overall stationary trend, although this pattern was not entirely robust at the regional level. The limited number of municipalities providing these procedures highlights territorial inequalities and the need to strengthen specialized oral health service capacity within the SUS.