La Carrera de Odontología en el Contexto Actual de la Educación Superior Chilena

  1. Marcela Alcota 1
  2. Pilar Ruiz de Gauna 2
  3. Fermín E González 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Chile Facultad de Odontología Departamento de Odontología Conservadora
  2. 2 Universidad del País Vasco Departamento de la Educación
Journal:
International Journal of Odontostomatology

ISSN: 0718-381X,  0718-3801

Year of publication: 2016

Volume: 10

Issue: 1

Pages: 85-91

Type: Article

DOI: 10.4067/S0718-381X2016000100014 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: International Journal of Odontostomatology

Abstract

The status of dentistry in Chile is accurately reflected by that of the country's higher education system in general ­ crisis. The "Higher Education Act" passed in 1981, and kept in force for more than three decades, exalts a "freedom of education" but leaves the realization and regulation of this idea in the hands of the free market. The resulting transformation has led from the State guaranteeing education as a fundamental right to education being treated as a consumer good, with the students as clients and educational institutions as suppliers whose objective is to turn a profit. This ideological shift has triggered a number of highly troubling consequences, especially in the field of dentistry. From a cultural perspective, dentistry was founded with an objective to train professionals strongly aligned with the health needs of the country and of the less privileged, which has resulted in the prestigious position that dentists transversally hold across Chilean society. The current rates of dentistry program enrollment and graduation are among the fastest growing within Chilean higher education. However, dentistry programs also have some of the highest financial costs for students and their families, and limited regulation in terms of accreditation means that many dentistry schools are of questionable quality. Additionally, the oversupply of dentistry graduates has meant that Chile is now witness to the first generations of unemployed or underemployed dentists. Considering this current situation, an in-depth analysis of the structural crisis within Chile's higher education system is essential. This crisis directly affects dentistry education, and realignment is needed to bring this field back to its foundation of focusing on the needs of people, the society, and the country. These are some of the transformational challenges facing the Chilean higher education system in general and dentistry education in particular.

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