Autopercepção de acadêmicos de odontologia quanto ao desenvolvimento e relevância de atividades pedagógicas abordando a temática lesões dentárias não cariosas: um estudo transversal

Abstract

Non-carious cervical lesions are part of a group of pathologies that have become increasingly common in the clinical routine of dental surgeons. Thus, this article aims to analyze the self-perception of Dentistry students at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) regarding the development and relevance of pedagogical activities addressing the theme of noncarious dental lesions. To achieve this, a cross-sectional study was conducted, which was submitted to and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. The research involved an online questionnaire, created using the Google platform, where participants were invited through an invitation letter sent by email. After data collection, the responses were tabulated and subjected to both descriptive and analytical analysis. In the descriptive analysis, participants were characterized by variables. In the analytical stage, the data were subjected to chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests, and a possible association between the variables was studied to try to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. The results showed that this theme is strongly present in the third year of the undergraduate course, but there is a decline in the focus on this topic in the final years. Furthermore, the importance given to the theme by the students is strongly linked to its presence in the course's theoretical subjects, as students gave less importance to the topic as the semesters advanced, reinforcing the previous hypothesis. Therefore, the decreased focus on the theme throughout the course may influence students' perception of its importance.