ORAL CANCER DIAGNOSIS IMPACT ON STOMATOLOGY STUDENTS OF THE PUC MINAS SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the diagnosis of oral cancer in students of the School of Dentistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais. Material and methods: 64 students of both genders and in higher degree, taking the 5th and 6th semesters of the discipline of Stomatology, Dentistry Department, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, answered a questionnaire related to specific emotional factors associated with care in patients presenting lesions suspicious of malignancy until the final diagnosis and the reporting to them and to their families. Results: Important data showed that 54.5% of the students indicated early detection of cancer as a factor relevant to the patient’s recovery and 75% answered that crying followed by revolt and despair are the reactions most difficult to deal before the notice of a diagnosis of cancer to a patient. However, the results indicate presence of some subjective changes experienced by students after the experience with the clinical diagnosis of cancer, and emphasize the importance of introducing in the academic space interdisciplinary discussions and exchanges of experiences that human relations in health evoke. Conclusion: It was evidenced the need to recognize in those future professionals some conducts guided by human values †and not just therapeutic and technical expertise, understanding the distress and call for help, applying their sensitivity to deal with the hearing and feeling of a person weakened by illness and by the lost time until diagnosis was confirmed as well as by the unsuccessful attempts to solve his/her problem. DESCRIPTORS Cancer of mouth. Students, Dental. Social Perception