Resumo

WARMLING, Alessandra M. Ferreira et al. Contributions of complementary activities in professional dental training. Rev. ABENO [online]. 2012, vol.12, n.2, pp. 190-197. ISSN 1679-5954.

Objective: Characterize the inclusion of complementary activities in an undergraduate dental course, and their contribution to professional training. Methods: This was an exploratory cross-sectional study with a quantitative and qualitative approach. During 2011 (2nd sem.) and 2012 (1st and 2nd sem.), all undergraduate students in their final year at the Federal University of Santa Catarina Dental School were asked to answer a questionnaire. The quantitative data were tabulated and analyzed using descriptive statistics, with the help of Google Docs® software for research forms. There were also in-depth interviews with 10 students who completed the questionnaire. The qualitative data were analyzed according to the content analysis framework. Results: There were 70 participants; 93% had been involved in complementary activities during their undergraduate studies. The activities were carried out mainly in the area of public health dentistry (67%) and were most often related to internships and outreach activities; 33% were related to the student’s final term paper for the course, whereas only 9% were related to graduate research; 65% of the students felt that participating in these activities contributed greatly to their education. The results obtained from the qualitative data were grouped into three categories related to the factors that influence student participation in complementary activities, to the importance of participating in complementary activities and to limitations while performing complementary activities. Conclusion: Most of the students participated in complementary activities during their university training and considered them a positive experience, indicating that the course in question provided this type of opportunity. The didactic and pedagogic organization of the complementary activities appears to influence how students perceive the importance and value of their participation in these activities, as an aid in the teaching-learning process of professional dentistry training.

Palavras-chave : Education, Dental; Education, Higher; Curriculum.