Experiences of 'Beyond a Smile' project

discussing dental health impact on systemic health through University Extension

Abstract

Comprehensiveness is not just one of the guidelines of the Unified Health System (SUS), it must be a concept adopted for those who promote health actions, since it refers to a set of individual and collective aspirations. Based on a broad concept of health, the promotion of oral health transcends the technical dimension of dental practice, being oral health integrated with other public health practices. This paper aims to report the experiences of the extension project “Health beyond a smile: the impacts of oral health on systemic health” of the Federal University of Cariri (UFCA). During development of the project, one of the main goals were to dialogue with community in an accessible way, through talk groups, shaping health subjects to regional culture, prioritazing horizontal communication. It was possible to verify a positive impact in community, once accessing local background there was a better acceptance from population, which had their traditions valued through language development and the project’s method. In addition, the experience in community work was necessary for a holistic professional training, outside the traditional academic environment, the student has the opportunity to develop social and humanistic sensitivity, through a more active participation with the community in which they are inserted.