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[Analysis of dental students' knowledge and concepts in oral health: evaluation by concept maps]
M Struchiner1, A R Vieira, R M Ricciardi
1Laboratório de Tecnologias Cognitivas, Núcleo de Tecnologia Educacional para a Saúde, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. mchiner@nutes.ufri.br
Abstract:
This study sought to analyze senior dental students' cognitive structure concerning the topic of "enamel", which is fundamentally important for understanding oral health, since it offers basic scientific concepts for clinical and preventive practices and is the main subject of several courses during dentistry training. The strategy used to analyze students' cognitive structures was Novak's Concept Maps, based on Ausubel's Meaningful Learning theory. Analysis of students' maps allowed for a study of students' cognitive structure and concepts concerning oral health. It also fostered a diagnosis of students' knowledge in several important aspects of scientific and professional training. The results highlighted the need for rethinking the teaching/learning process in dentistry training.