A qualitative change in undergraduate education is important for adequately training human resources to work in the Unified National Health System. Based on this premise, the Piracicaba School of Dentistry, University of Campinas, has focused on developing a teaching model to meet such training requirements. This article aims to present the experience at the School of Dentistry in integration teaching and patient care. During their first year of undergraduate training, students have contact with primary and secondary care through guided visits. The second year prioritizes health promotion and the prevention of the principal oral and dental problems encountered in dentistry, while the third year focuses on public health issues. In the last year of the course, students participate in a supervised internship in one of the six Family Health Units. This experience covers 64 hours, divided into two semesters. The program is full-time (8 hours/day) on four consecutive days in a single week. The activity allows the experience of practicing knowledge, significantly improving the students' professional training in the work dynamics and interaction with graduate studies, in addition to challenging preconceived ideas about the health services.
Public Health Dentistry; Family Health Program; Dental Health Education
