Extension as a Scenario for Postgraduate Training in Dentistry
A Reflection from the Oncology Project
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35699/2318-2326.2025.59612Keywords:
Dentistry, Head and Neck Neoplasms, Unified Health SystemAbstract
The Extension Project “Dental care for patients with head and neck cancer” was founded in 2002 at the School of Dentistry of UFMG. Its target audience is head and neck cancer patients linked to the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) who require specialized dental care throughout their cancer treatment. Therefore, the Extension Project meets a demand from society, with the premise of practicing interdisciplinary dentistry based on scientific evidence. Undergraduate and postgraduate dentistry students care patients jointly at various stages of their training. The Extension Project is the setting for postgraduate disciplines, including the Teaching Internship, as well as scientific research by master's and doctoral students and undergraduate students. In addition, we realize that this Extension Project has as its hallmark the contribution to the human and socially committed training of students. We conclude that the involvement of postgraduate students in our Extension Project has been consolidated over the years and it is now unimaginable for the Extension Project to function without their presence. The experience in Extension activities adds fundamental - albeit complex - layers to the training of postgraduate students in Dentistry.
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