Perception of knowledge, practices and attitudes about environmental sustainability of Dentistry students.

Abstract

This cross-sectional and analytical study aimed to assess the perception of knowledge, practices and attitudes of academics about Sustainable Dentistry (SD). The sample (n=182) consisted of students from two dentistry courses from a public and a private Institution. Data were collected through a questionnaire, distributed into three dimensions: perception of knowledge, practices and attitudes related to SD. Cluster analysis was used to identify similarity of responses. Three clusters were identified, with the knowledge dimension having the lowest positive response scores, while the practice dimension had the highest scores. There was a significant difference (P<0.001) with the public nstitution having higher positive scores in the dimensions of knowledge and practices. It is concluded that the perception of academics is unsatisfactory in the knowledge dimension, evidencing the need for educational strategies on sustainability in undergraduate courses.

Keywords: Environmental health education. Dentistry students. Health service waste.