Gestão e marketing odontológico na graduação: avaliação do ensino em instituições públicas do Brasil

Abstract

Dentistry has undergone significant transformations, driven by technological advances, changes in patient demands and expectations, and growing competition in the healthcare services market. In 2002, the National Curriculum Guidelines proposed a reformulation of the curriculum structure of Dentistry courses to implement new curricular components, including the area of management, in line with the new professional profile of health science graduates. Thus, the present study aimed to characterize the curricular components related to management and dental marketing offered during undergraduate education in public institutions in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study, based on data collected through consultations with higher education institutions listed on the e-MEC website of the Ministry of Education and on the Federal Council of Dentistry website, in order to locate the curriculum structure and syllabi of the courses and obtain information about the curricular components that addressed management and marketing education. The sample included all public higher education institutions offering Dentistry courses, totaling 57 selected institutions. Of these, 14 were excluded for not making their curriculum structure publicly available on their websites. The consultations were conducted during July and August 2023, assessing the institution’s location, the type of curricular component, the semester in which it is offered, course load, teaching methodology, and nomenclature. The vast majority of the institutions analyzed had some curricular component related to management and dental marketing, predominantly located in the Northeast region, with most of these components being mandatory, mainly offered during the eighth semester, and with course loads ranging from 15 to 151 hours. Theoretical methodology was the most frequently employed, and the most common course title was “Professional Orientation.” The lack of standardization in course titles, teaching methods, workloads, and semester offerings makes it imperative to reflect on the teaching and learning process, taking into account more consistent educational methods and curricular components.