RESUMEN
Social representations are a type of common sense knowledge shared by different groups based on their experience. This study identified the social representations of dental practice in a group of environmental health graduate students in Lima, Peru. Method: We interviewed 25 graduate students using a "focus group" technique and a semi-structured guide. Three groups were formed with purposive sampling. The data were collected during the years 2010-2011, and analyzed using open, axial, selective coding with Atlas-Ti software. Results: Three substantive categories were identified: dental practice, characteristics of the dental care provider and dental practice setting. The social representations that the students identified with dental practice were fear and pain. Conclusions: The negative social representations of dental practice may affect viability and adherence to treatment, so it is important to identify them in time in order to intervene effectively.
Las representaciones sociales son un tipo de conocimiento de sentido comun que comparten diferentes grupos, basados en su experiencia. En este trabajo se identificaron las representaciones sociales de la practica odontologica en un grupo de estudiantes de postgrado en salud ambiental de Lima Peru. Se entrevistaron a 25 estudiantes de posgrado con la tecnica "focus group" y con una guia semi-estructurada. Se conformaron tres grupos con muestreo intencionado. Los datos se recolectaron durante los anos 2010-2011. La informacion se analizo con codificacion abierta, axial y selectiva mediante el software Atlas-ti. Se identificaron tres categorias sustantivas: practica dental, caracteristicas del profesional de odontologia y entorno de la practica dental. Las representaciones sociales que identificaron los estudiantes con la practica odontologica fueron miedo y dolor. Las representaciones sociales negativas de la practica odontologica pueden afectar la viabilidad y apego al tratamiento, por lo que es importante identificarlas oportunamente para intervenir con eficacia.