Perception on general and oral health in a comparative analysis among graduates of Dentistry, Nursing, Medicine and Pharmacy

Abstract

Objective: to understand the meanings of health and disease in the context of general and oral health, as well as to analyze the impact of different academic education. Material and Methods: to this end, an exploratory study was held with a population of graduates in the courses of Dentistry (n=25), Nursing (n=19), Medicine (n=24) and Pharmacy (n=11) of the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES). The information was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire applied by trained interviewers. Data were analyzed and expressed through descriptive, relative and absolute values. Results: a total of 75.94% of graduates in the four courses qualified health according to the concept standardized by the World Health Organization. Also, most graduates in Dentistry and Medicine stated having a higher degree of knowledge and appreciation in general and oral health when compared to graduates in Nursing and Pharmacy. However, these four populations present a similar definition for the term “health”, recognize oral health as a component of general health, value dental aesthetics and associate loss of anterior teeth with decrease in quality of life. Conclusion: graduates in courses in the health care area in many aspects present a similar vision regarding the health-disease process and appreciate the dental aesthetics.