CAVALCANTI, Yuri Wanderley; CARTAXO, Renata de Oliveira    PADILHA, Wilton Wilney Nascimento. Dental education and the Brazilian Health System: practices and perceptions of undergraduate students. Arq. Odontol. []. 2010, 46, 4, pp. 224-231. ISSN 1516-0939.

The implementation of the Single Health System (SHS) has guided Brazilian Public Health toward preventive, humanized, and integral actions. New health practices demand new practices in the education of professionals. The present study analyzed the profile of Dentistry students from the Federal University of Paraiba, Brazil (UFPB), according to the professional interests and activities of SHS. An inductive approach was used, applying a statistician-comparative procedure and an extensive direct observation technique through questionnaires. From 344 registered Dentistry students, a sample of 172 individuals was formulated (confidence interval of 95%). For 65.1% of the sample, SHS offers actions based on humanized and integral services geared toward the true necessities of the population (77.3%). A statistical correlation could be observed (p<0.05) between the period of undergraduate study and the students' perception that practical activities are enough for professional practice (negative correlation) and that the training in Dentistry at UFPB leads to jobs in SHS (positive correlation). The acquired education was considered appropriate for SHS practices, with special emphasis on humanized education and experience in the system. However, the education concerning clinical specialties was deemed insufficient.

: Human resources formation; Dental education; Single Health System.