Professional profiles and educational practices of oral health in Primary Health Care

ABSTRACT

In oral health, educational actions are still based on the transmission of knowledge, without observing the real needs of the population. Cross-sectional, descriptive and exploratory study, with a qualitative approach, aiming to analyze educational practices of primary care dentists, identifying motivations and difficulties to carry them out. Data collection was carried out through interviews with 39 dentists in Fortaleza-CE, submitted to Content Analysis, identifying three professional profiles: passive, hardworking and empowered dentist. On the passive side, education for adolescents, exchange of benefits, and the valuation of clinical care were difficulties mentioned that lead to the blame of the population, without citing motivations. Blaming also emerged with the hardworking, along with the population’s lack of interest, with intersectoriality, improved health of the population, and personal motivation being presented as motivators. The empowered ones, on the other hand, highlighted vulnerability and lack of professional commitment as challenges, being motivated by interprofessional actions. Management and the COVID-19 pandemic were difficulties common to the profiles, highlighting the importance of Continuing Education, which still has little incentive in the dissemination of problematizing educational approaches, in addition to the need to enhance professional motivation strategies in the development of these practices.

KEYWORDS Health education; Oral health education; Primary Health Care