Abstract

MOTA, Luciane de Queiroz; FARIAS, Danilo Barboza Lopes Magalhães  and  SANTOS, Thalita Almeida dos. Humanization in dental care: reception of the subjectivity of patients treated by undergraduate students in dentistry. Arq. Odontol. [online]. 2012, vol.48, n.3, pp. 151-158. ISSN 1516-0939.

Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the subjectivity of patients according to their treatment provided by undergraduate students, the existence of dental anxiety, and the profile of an ideal dentist. Materials and Methods: The present study is descriptive and exploratory, using a quantitative and qualitative method with content analysis. The data collection instrument included a structured interview with both objective and subjective questions, and the sample consisted of 48 spontaneous users of the dental clinics of Universidade Federal da Paraíba who fit the criteria of this study. Included in this sample were patients as of 12 years of age, of both genders, with no distinction of race, who had sought out dental care from November 2009 to May 2010. Excluded from the study were patients with special needs, who had no conditions to interact with the researcher. Identified in each case were the nuclei of existing meaning, from which the indicators were extracted in an attempt to determine their classification in categories and their overall count, whose results were expressed through frequency and whole numbers. Results: Most respondents (56.3%) felt safe when treated by undergraduate students; 41.7% of the patients considered that an ideal dentist should have technical skills and be attentive, and 35% presented dental anxiety. Conclusions: The patients feel safe and confident when they are treated by undergraduate dental students and feel that an ideal dentist should be a professional with technical skills, but above all, should maintain a humane and friendly contact with the patient. Dental anxiety is still a common fear among patients, but it is believed that this feeling will be minimized in the near future through new humanization policies within health services.

Keywords : Dental anxiety; Humanization of assistance; User embracement.