Abstract

VIEIRA, Gabriella Machado  and  CANTO, Graziela de Luca. Evaluation of the curriculum reform of the University of Santa Catarina dentistry course. Rev. ABENO [online]. 2012, vol.12, n.2, pp. 198-206. ISSN 1679-5954.

The dentistry course of the Federal University of Santa Catarina has recently undergone curricular changes based on the National Curriculum Guidelines for undergraduate courses in dentistry. The change in the university’s educational project was implemented in 2006, in accordance with Resolution #3/02 CNE/CES, dated February 19, 2002, which established the National Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Dentistry Courses. The new curriculum came into force in the first half of 2007. With this in mind, the main goal of this study was to evaluate, on one hand, the curriculum reform, by comparing the diagnostic knowledge of students of the old and of the new curriculum, and, on the other hand, the views of these students on the course and their professional aptitudes. The survey was conducted by applying a questionnaire containing 20 questions about diagnoses made in dentistry and 4 undergraduate course-related questions about the student’s professional aptitudes. The study included 90 students who were separated into two groups: Group I was formed by students of the old curriculum, and Group II was formed by students of the new curriculum. After the questionnaires were administered, the data were analyzed statistically in the epi- Data program and entered in Excel. The results showed that the differences in diagnostic knowledge between groups I and II were not statistically significant. In relation to the strong point of the course, there was a statistical difference between the two groups. What prevailed in Group I was the learning of treatment modalities, whereas, in Group II, it was the learning of complete diagnoses. In relation to where the students would prefer to work, the majority of both groups responded that they preferred public health services together with private clinic practice. In respect to the areas in which they preferred to work, both groups opted mostly for clinical disciplines, in that group II had a significant preference for Collective Health.

Keywords : Diagnosis; Interdisciplinarity; Dentistry; Curriculum; Curriculum Guidelines.