A institucionalização do ensino odontológico na Escola Livre de Odontologia do Pará: dos “sacamuelas” aos cientificistas (1911- 1920)

Abstract

The Escola Livre de Odontologia do Pará (Free School of Dentistry of Pará) was created in 1914, with objective to disseminate modern dental education. It was founded by surgeonsdentists, doctors and pharmacists who occupied important positions in the political and institutional structure of the State. The objective of this research is analyze the conditions of dental education institutionalization in the Escola Livre de Odontologia do Pará. The research locates between 1911 and 1920, because it embraces a period in which changes were introduced in the regulation of the dental practice, through the creation of the School, until the moment she fits to national rules laid down for the Faculties, in which the since then became Faculdade Livre de Odontologia do Pará (Free College of Dentistry of Pará). In the research we tried to analyze: the antecedents of the creation of the School; the relationships in dental practice in Pará; the resistances in the process of introduction of new dental practices. For this, the school curricula were analyzed, the registers of the Congregation and discourse of teachers and rulers, etc. Research has shown that before the creation of the School had dentists and practical dentists, who worked at the local dental field. These groups competed for the monopoly of dental practice in Pará. The dentists sought to expand areas of modern dentistry in the midst of society. They argued that their dental practice was scientific. They did use speeches that disqualify the practical dentists. With the creation of the Escola Livre de Odontologia was promoted dental education in the region, aimed at expanding the number of health professionals trained in the order of modern discourse, ie, graduates in scientific discourse. The school sought to expand the space of modern dentistry in the middle of the local population, creating the clinic dental care, which intended to provide dental surgical services free the soldiers of the Military Brigade, interns of the Hospice for the Insane and students from public schools in Belém.