Análise da inserção do ensino de gestão em saúde nos currículos de cursos públicos de Odontologia no Brasil: um estudo transversal documental

Abstract

The teaching of health management is a competency foreseen in the National Curriculum Guidelines (DCN) for the Dentistry course, being fundamental for the training of dental surgeons capable of acting with autonomy, leadership, and responsibility in the organization of health services. Despite this normative provision, the literature points to weaknesses in the consolidation of these contents in undergraduate studies. This study aimed to analyze the inclusion and organization of health management teaching in the Course Pedagogical Projects (PPC) of Brazilian public Higher Education Institutions that offer the Dentistry course, seeking to identify structural patterns, regional distribution, pedagogical characteristics, and adherence to the DCN. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative study, carried out through document analysis of 56 public HEIs registered in the e-MEC system, with PPCs, curricular matrices, and syllabi available in the public domain. Variables related to the institution's administrative nature, regional distribution, year of curricular validity, course duration, total and specific workload of management subjects, mandatory nature, methodological nature, number of curricular components, and department responsible for offering the course were analyzed. The results showed that 78.6% of the HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) have at least one subject linked to health management. However, a predominance of single subjects was observed, with a workload of less than 60 hours, a predominantly theoretical character, and insertion concentrated in the final semesters of the undergraduate program. Regional variations and significant differences were identified regarding program density and pedagogical integration. Although some institutions show greater alignment with the National Curriculum Guidelines (DCN), the overall panorama reveals a heterogeneous curricular organization and a predominantly complementary, not structuring, approach. Therefore, the teaching of health management in Brazilian public dental undergraduate programs is formally established, but still unevenly and with limited longitudinal integration, which may compromise the full development of the managerial competencies foreseen in the DCN.