The article presents the findings of a study on the production of knowledge in dental education during 1995-2006. A corpus of 52 theses and twenty dissertations from Capes' databank were researched. The purpose was to survey production and relate it to Brazilian trends in health and education. It is concluded that while production is still incipient, a variety of themes appear: innovative disciplinary experiences, analyses of the impact of new teaching methodologies, teacher training, syllabuses, and profiles of graduates. Overall, these papers reflect the vitality of the field and its potential for arriving at syntheses, taking into account the complexity and scope of the task of reflecting on the education of healthcare professionals in Brazil.
dental education; higher education; Brazil
