The teaching of dentistry: professionalization of university teaching and the challenges of the political-structural dimension

摘要

New social demands challenge the teaching practices of higher education in Dentistry. We investigated the concept of the quality of education, as seen by professors who work in the field of Dentistry. The universe of this study consists of the coordinators of the Undergraduate Course of those Schools of Dentistry in the State of São Paulo that offer programs for full graduate degrees (Master's and Doctorates). The tool employed for data collection was questionnaire and interview. The purpose of our work is to discuss signaling indicators capable of providing input for projects focusing on the professionalization of university teaching. The data collected were based on the political-structural dimension of the profession and the results pointed to a Dentistry facing a status crisis, challenges concerning the universalization of mouth healthcare to most of the population and its social impact. As a conclusion emerges the political and pedagogical project as a space for discussion the crisis, the changes in curricula, considering the social reality.