Advances and challenges of training in the Unified Health System based on teachers’ experience in the area of Public Health in Dentistry courses

Abstract

The training directed at the Unified Health System (SUS) has been one of the most challenging assumptions in the development of Dentistry courses in Brazil. In this regard, public health educated teachers play a fundamental role in the curricular proposition favoring such an approach. This study aimed to identify the possible advances achieved in Dentistry courses and the challenges in training for the SUS. This is a quantitative, cross-sectional research with a sample of 119 teachers employing the probabilistic Snowball technique. Participants responded to a validated criteria matrix, and an exploratory factor analysis was performed for data analysis, which defined five factors responsible for training for the SUS: Primary Care; Social Responsibility and Teamwork; Health Management; Information Systems, and Continuing Education/Humanization. The study allowed identifying significant advances in the perspective of greater adequacy of the training proposal aimed at the SUS. However, some challenges to teachers require expanding the prospect to face the barriers still imposed by traditional health training.

Key words:
Public health; Staff development; Educational assessment; Dentistry Education