Percepción de los estudiantes de odontologia de la ufrgs sobre la disciplina de pacientes con necesidades especiales

Abstract

The aim of this research was to evaluate the perception of the students of the School of Dentistry of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (FO-UFRGS) who took the elective subject of Dental Care for Patients with Special Needs (PSN) in relation to said course. A longitudinal, observational and analytical study was carried out, in which a questionnaire with 20 open and closed questions was applied to 64 students of 9th and 10th semester who had taken this subject. A total of 98.4% (n = 63) of the students felt moved and learnt a life lesson with the patients; 86% (n = 55) identified with dental care for PSN; 67.2% (n = 43) showed no interest in specializing in the area; however, 76.6% (n = 49) said they were prepared to work with PSN; 98.4% (n = 63) would recommend this area to their peers; 100% (n = 64) considered that what they learned was important for their academic training as dental surgeons and that this discipline should be obligatory in the course curriculum. The students surveyed believe this area is important for their training and should be considered obligatory; it has allowed them to see a new reality and demystify their fears and preconceptions. In addition, it has made them more qualified professionals with greater empathy to serve this population.

Education's impact on primary care dentists’ confidence in treating patients with special health care needs

“…11 The necessity to incorporate SCD into the undergraduate curriculum was supported by 85% (n = 127) of the participants with very strong agreement (mean 6.7 ± 0.7) and is reinforced by the significant number of patients with SHCN seen in primary care centers (93.3% seeing at least one patient with SHCN per month). Similar results in other studies endorse this necessity, highlighting the essential role of undergraduate SCD training to improve the quality of care of these patients 11,17,18 Furthermore, the sooner this topic can be introduced to future dentists, the better it appears to be. 19 Some authors have also stressed the importance of including clinical experience besides the theoretical lectures to enhance clinical reasoning and to promote acceptance of patients with SHCN 20,21,22 Ferreira et al emphasized the importance of experiencing clinical care of patients with SHCN as an undergraduate to build more prepared professionals, with fewer challenges when dealing with patients with SHCN.…”

Factors associated with dental interns and professors perception of the management of disabled patients: A cross-sectional study under multivariable analysis

“…Increased exposure to disabled patients during undergraduate studies is necessary to familiarize students, strengthen their knowledge, improve their perception, and demystify concepts about the type of care provided to these patients. Experiences and relationships throughout their academic training are critical to defining their professional profile [ 31 , 32 ].…”

“…Furthermore, these patients face limitations in expressing their needs and often struggle with self-care, resulting in an elevated risk for the prevalence and severity of oral cavity conditions [ 14 , 16 ]. The current study presents a distinct viewpoint from prior research [ 5 , 31 , 35 ] by elucidating the perceptions of both dental interns and professors towards caring for disabled patients. This holds relevance as it emphasizes the need for professors to possess suitable competencies to communicate knowledge, attitudes, and abilities to interns, thereby enhancing their clinical management skills in providing adequate care to these patients.…”

“…One strength of the current study is that it investigates a topic that has undergone little research, particularly in Latin America [ 31 , 44 ]. This is significant as individuals with disabilities make up a vulnerable population that is often disregarded by various governments, particularly in countries where policies for these individuals are in the midst of structural adaptation [ 32 ].…”