Las prácticas sociales desde la Carrera de Odontología

The changes generated in the Health System of Colombia, such as the special emphasis in collective work, have set an evident necessity for capable professionals to work in different environments to the clinician. Either way, the health concept has broadened its frame, to ones much more integral, where the comprehension of a concept is built from models that integrate the biological, the mental and the social. For this reason, it is very important to create from within the university, spaces that allow the student to interact with the community. What is mentioned above is related to the Social Responsibility, which from a university context, is referred to as the ability of the university to respond to the needs of the society´s transformation where it is immersed, through the practice of its original functions: teaching, investigation and extension. Through the extension function, and with a base in the professional profile that the society needs to improve the health of the Colombian population, the School of Dentistry of the Pontificia Javeriana University, after a curricular reflection, has generated spaces for the Social Practice. This allows the student to approach the current situation of the country, and do a reading of the reality and needs of the population, to construct and promote promotional strategies in terms of quality of life and health, for the search of the population's well being. This will allow in the future, work in the community service and the comprehension that the actions in health, must be coupled with public, political, community and collective sectors.