Perceptions of undergraduate dentistry students regarding primary care

Abstract

Aim: This study sought to understand the perceptions of dentistry students regarding primary care and its relation to professional practice.

Methods: This is a qualitative research, which employed the data collection method of a semi-structured interview with students of the ninth period of a Dentistry School from a Public University. Eight interviews, based on a semi-structured script, were carried out, recorded, and later transcribed by a single researcher in a location within the University itself that allowed the interviews to be performed. We chose to conduct an analysis of the thematic content, performed by three researchers, both simultaneously and independently.

Results: This study included three main themes: The concept of primary care, learning in primary care, and the practice reported in primary care. Students described primary care as a level characterized by simple, low-cost clinical procedures. In the learning process, they point out the importance of the teacher as an active element and of scenarios that bring them closer to reality. They are sensitized to the adverse situations of those who receive primary care, presenting a tendency towards an integral view of the individuals. However, this fact is unable to change their practice, which remains centered in clinical dental acts.

Conclusion: It is necessary to invest increasingly in active teaching-learning methodologies, which may contribute to the training of more qualified professionals for the Brazilian Unified Health System.