Balancing the role of the dental school in teaching, research and patient care; including care for underserved areas

Modelo para avaliação da integração ensino-serviço em Unidades Docentes Assistenciais na Atenção Básica

RESUMO A pesquisa objetivou elaborar um modelo para avaliação da efetividade da integração ensino-serviço na Atenção Básica. O modelo foi elaborado com base na literatura, consulta aos atores envolvidos na integração (gestão, serviço, comunidade e ensino) e técnicas de consenso com discussão de especialistas para validação. O modelo teórico-lógico foi construído com suporte na legislação da saúde e educação. A matriz avaliativa proposta é composta por quatro dimensões e dez indicadores. Posteriormente o modelo proposto será utilizado no intuito de verificar sua aplicabilidade, a necessidade de ajustes e a possibilidade de replicação em diferentes contextos.

Teaching at primary healthcare services within the Brazilian national health system (SUS) in Brazilian healthcare professionals' training

The aim of this study was to analyze the role of teaching at primary healthcare services within the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) in dentists' training, at a public university in the south of Brazil. A qualitative methodological approach (case study) was used. Interviews were conducted with 12 dentistry students, six dentists who were preceptors working in public primary healthcare services and three teachers connected with this curricular training. Our findings showed that the curricular training in SUS primary healthcare services had an impact on the dentists' education through establishment of bonds, autonomy in problem-solving and multiprofessional teamwork. It was seen that they learned about how healthcare services function, about healthcare and about development of cultural competence. There is a need to maintain constant questioning regarding these practices, and to ensure the presence of infrastructure and qualified professionals for teaching at these services.

Reforming dental workforce education and practice in the USA

The USA dental education programmes are facing challenges similar to those confronting countries around the globe, particularly amongst the industrialised nations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the educational programmes of 15 USA dental schools to determine their impact on improving workforce diversity and oral health care access. The study investigates the predictors of public service plans of dental school seniors in Pipeline and non-Pipeline Program dental schools. We analysed baseline and post-intervention data collected in the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Survey of Dental School Seniors and a set of contextual variables. Public service plans (dependent variable) was predicted by four types of independent variables: intervention, contextual, community-based dental education (CBDE), and student characteristics. Findings from the study show that access to a state or federally sponsored loan repayment program was the most significant predictor of public service plans and that increasing educational debt was the most significant barrier. In the short-term we may be able to sustain the USA loan repayment programs to motivate senior dental students to provide public service to address the oral health care access crisis. However, in the long-term, a new workforce development initiative will be required to transform dental education and practice, modelled after the well-respected licensure programmes for Physician Assistants and/or Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, to expand oral health care access, particularly amongst vulnerable population subgroups, such as low-income children and families.