title: Dentistry students' perceptions about an extramural experience with a Brazilian indigenous community.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to evaluate dentistry students' perceptions about an extramural activity designed to deliver dental care to an indigenous community.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a qualitative investigation involving 4 students of dentistry who had just had the experience of delivering treatment to indigenous Brazilian people. These students answered questions about the relevance of the experience to their personal and professional lives. We performed Content Analysis to data treatment and it was analysed by Social Representation Theory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two social representations were reached: a) Being capable to promote oral health; b) Facing human feeling and respect each other.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that participation in an extramural project improves the students' understanding of primary health care in dentistry. Such experiences help students develop a sense of cultural respect, comprehensive care, and to understand patients in their totality as social beings with their own values, beliefs, and attitudes regarding oral health care.
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre Favero
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Bulgarelli
authors.forename: Renato Cassio
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Roperto
authors.forename: Soraya Fernandes
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Mestriner
authors.forename: Wilson
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mestriner
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D001938:Brazil; D003149:Community Dentistry / Q000193:education; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003190:Comprehensive Dental Care; D003469:Culture; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D004497:Education, Dental; D006293:Health Promotion; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D009909:Oral Health; D044382:Population Groups / Q000208:ethnology*; D011231:Preceptorship; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012649:Self Concept; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology*; D026712:Value of Life