Perspectives on the teaching of Occupational Dentistry according to university curricula in Southeast Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Occupational Dentistry is a specialty recently acknowledged by the Federal Council of Dentistry that seeks to prevent work-related oral health issues. It aims to improve workers’ quality of life and promote a more efficient productive development. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate whether the subject of Occupational Dentistry was included in the curriculum of undergraduate Dentistry courses in Southeast Brazil. METHODS: The curriculum of universities registered on the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s website (e-MEC) were analyzed regarding type of university administration (private or public), inclusion of Occupational Dentistry in the curriculum of Dentistry courses, whether the subject was compulsory or not, and subject workload. Universities that did not make the course curriculum available on their website were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: Of 176 universities registered on e-MEC, 144 were included in the study. Most universities (86.9%) were private, whereas only 13.1% were public. Occupational Dentistry was available in 10 universities. The subject was compulsory in 4 and optional in another 4 universities, with a total mean workload of 37.5 hours. Two universities did not disclose this information. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis allowed the investigation of the overall inclusion of Occupational Dentistry in the curriculum of Dentistry courses in Southeast Brazil. Only a small percentage of universities (6.9%), mostly private, included the subject in the course curriculum, usually on a compulsory basis.