Feminisation of Dentistry in Brazil from the Perspective of a MOOC-Type Distance Course - A Short Report

Abstract

The Brazilian public healthcare system (SUS - Brazilian Healthcare System) provides free dental care, covering almost half of the Brazilian population. Providing continuing education to thousands of professionals is a difficult and expensive task given the country’s large size. SUS' Open University in partnership with public universities provides ongoing education to thousands of healthcare professionals using technological resources for distance learning. A distance learning course, in the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) modality, was developed to provide continuing medical education for dental surgeons to assist patients with chronic diseases. The course is free and has registered 13,089 participants. Aim: The purpose of this study is to present the profile of the MOOC course participants. Methods: Secondary data were obtained from Federal Council of Dentistry, the National Registry of Health Facilities, the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira and the Registry of Higher Education Institutions and Courses (e-MEC). Data of the MOOC course were collected in the Arouca Platform. Results: Dentists in Brazil are predominantly female. However, in some specialties there are more men than women. The majority of participants on the course were female 73.5% and in the age group of 21-40 years. Conclusion: This phenomenon is similar to other countries, and needs to be better investigated in Brazil, so that public policies of continuing education of healthcare professionals by means of distance learning, may take the profession's feminisation into consideration.