Comprehensive clinics. A comparative study among Dental Schools in Argentina

Abstract

In this study, comprehensive clinics (CC) are interpreted as a pragmatic projection of the complexity of health. The aim of the study was to analyze the characteristics of the CCs at different schools of dentistry in Argentina. Data were collected from document analysis and interviews with key respondents at 8 universities, classified according to the criteria of Bray and Thomas. Interviews were developed and analyzed according to discourse analysis. The convergences and divergences among curricula were established and analyzed statistically. Triangulation of results showed that: (a) Most curricula (7/8) included subjects called CC; (b) the permanence of CCs in the curricula was not stable, with changes recorded in different periods; and (c) in the so-called CCs, the complex clinical approach showed frequent displacements based on teacher values or competence. It was concluded that there are divergences between theory and practice, and that it would be recommendable to have more rigorous curricular design taking into account current trends regarding the complexity of health and its transfer to educational management.