Training and evaluation of professors of dentistry in postgraduate programs in Brazil.

In Brazil, development of "academic dentistry" over recent decades has also been based on the models cited (3). Academic dentistry refers to everything that concerns the dental profession in an educational setting. It involves both teaching/learning in undergraduate or postgraduate, and research and development - including the training of new professors, as well as university internship in the Academy/Health services/Community environment. Although Brazilian universities have trained and developed a considerable number of new dental professionals, its approach has been criticized because epidemiological achievements have underlined a striking paradox in the oral health status of the Brazilian population, as evidenced by the last national epidemiologic survey, in which serious iniquities in oral health were observed (4). These numbers show an imbalance between the work carried out by the nation's dentists, and the social necessities of the population (5). For Narvai (5) it also reflects a nationwide emphasis on the individualistic and private aspects of market dentistry. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.