Introduction.

Faced with the complex scenario in dental clinical care, the following question arises: Does the valued clinical professor have a defined profile? The search for an ideal clinical teacher for the purpose of achieving competencies in their students is usually a difficult task. The objective of this study is to determine the characteristics of clinical teachers considered experts according to the appreciation of the odontological community.

Subjects and methods.

An observational and descriptive study is carried out. The method used to collect data consists of a survey applied in the School of Dentistry of Universidad Católica de Chile that gathers the qualities of an expert clinical teacher and is applied to the three levels of the odontological community: students, clinical teachers and directors.

Results.

Among the outcomes, it is considered that the greatest number of characteristics associated with the valued teachers are of a personal nature, and the pedagogical aspects also stand out.

Conclusion.

These findings leads us to reflect on the teaching-learning practice that we carry out and the needs of the students in the clinic, giving value to the teaching-learning environment, particularly on the personal aspects of the clinical teacher.

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