Impact of pedagogical method on Brazilian dental students' waste management practice

The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative analysis of waste management practices among a group of Brazilian dental students (n=64) before and after implementing two different pedagogical methods: 1) the students attended a two-hour lecture based on World Health Organization standards; and 2) the students applied the lessons learned in an organized group setting aimed toward raising their awareness about socioenvironmental issues related to waste. All eligible students participated, and the students' learning was evaluated through their answers to a series of essay questions, which were quantitatively measured. Afterwards, the impact of the pedagogical approaches was compared by means of qualitative categorization of wastes generated in clinical activities. Waste categorization was performed for a period of eight consecutive days, both before and thirty days after the pedagogical strategies. In the written evaluation, 80 to 90 percent of the students' answers were correct. The qualitative assessment revealed a high frequency of incorrect waste disposal with a significant increase of incorrect disposal inside general and infectious waste containers (p<0.05). Although the students' theoretical learning improved, it was not enough to change behaviors established by cultural values or to encourage the students to adequately segregate and package waste material.