Health technology assessment as a tool to support decision-making in public and universal oral health care

Objective: To discuss the importance of health technology assessment (HTA) to allow oral health policies to be planned to meet the needs of prevention, promotion and recovery of patients’ health. Methods: It is an opinion article. Oral diseases can be a considerable economic burden for the individual and for society, leading to a global impact of US$ 544.41 billion in 2015. Results: Brazil has made great progress in terms of oral health care after the publication of the National Policy of Oral Health (PNSB). However, the current challenge is still great, especially with regard to the management of health technologies within the PNSB. Conclusion: The accomplishment of HTA to support decision-making on allocation of the financial resources used may prevent the Smiling Brazil program from becoming vulnerable to the waste of the scarce resources allocated to this are, which would result in low effectiveness, inefficiency and inequity of the health system.