The present work analyzes the perception that students, professors and users of the ambulatory have concerning the professional education in its ethical dimension, in two odontology course, a public and a private one from Bahia. It also aims to compare these perceptions with the observed ambulatory practice. With these purposes the following research instruments had been applied: questionnaires for 283 students, not-directive interviews with 32 professors and 36 users, and participatory observation in ambulatory practice in the two courses. The results show that (1) students and professors perceive the high stimulation of the ethic dimension, (2) students learn the basic concepts of bioethics theoretical knowledge, and (3) the majority of the users feel respected considering these principles. However, the observation of the ambulatory practice does not confirm all that perception results.
Bioethics; Higher education; Dentist-patient relations
