Impact of public health and higher education policies on the profile of final-year Brazilian dental students: Challenges and future developments.

Abstract

Brazil has experienced transformations in higher education and health services, including launching more inclusive public policies focused on these two areas. To evaluate the profile of final-year dental students from a Brazilian public university from 2010 to 2019, accompanied by changes in public health and higher education policies. A prospective observacional study was carried out with final-year dental students. A self-applicable semi-structured questionnaire was applied. Six-hundred and seventy-seven students participated, of which 71.5% were women, 72.9% aged between 21 and 25 years, 96.2% single, and 96.4% were without children. Over ten years, it was possible to identify trends in the profile explained by implementing public policies toward more inclusive access to Brazilian higher education by socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. Students who completed the course between 2018 and 2019 did not have the state capital city (the wealthiest area) as their origin city and had lower parental education and income levels than dental students graduating between 2010 and 2011. Moreover, working as a primary care dentist in the Brazilian National Health System was considered a professional possibility by 61.4% of the students, and has gained prominence significantly over time, ranging from 21.1% in 2010 to 72.9% in 2019 (p < .05). Over the study period, concomitantly to advances in public health and higher education policies in Brazil, more diverse access to public dental education was observed, allowing students from low socioeconomic positions to take the education. Changes have also impacted the students' perspectives regarding the need for postgraduate training and a career in public health dentistry. However, these trends need to be consolidated, and public policies continued and strengthened.