Interprofessional education in undergraduation in dentistry: curricular experiences and student availability

Abstract Introduction Interprofessional Education (IPE) is a pedagogical strategy that seeks to prepare the future health professional for a collaborative teamwork. Objective To identify curricular experiences of IPE and to evaluate the readiness of undergraduate students in Dentistry for the interprofessional learning. Materials and method This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted at a public university in the south of Brazil. The sample was made up of dentistry students who participated in the elective integrative discipline of health courses focused on IPE and students of the last year of the course (N=172). The data collection involved the online application of the Portuguese validated version and expanded from the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS-40), adding questions about the sociodemographic profile of the participants and experiences of IPE at graduation. Result 76 undergraduate students and 12 dentistry graduates participated in the study (n=88). IPE activities were observed in the curricular insternships of the course (20.4%), in various extracurricular activities (17%), extension (13.6%) and research (7.6%). Among those who studied the integrative discipline, 89.1% recognized it as an IPE activity. RIPLS results showed students and graduates with positive attitudes for IPE, although there was no association between participation in IPE activities and greater availability for shared learning. Conclusion One-off curricular experiences of IPE in dental graduation were observed at the investigated University, especially in elective activities and curricular stages. In order to be effective in developing collaborative skills for interprofessional health work, IPE experiences must be present throughout the training of the dentist.