This article examines the ethical dimension of the professional training of dentistry students. Using a qualitative approach, interviews were carried out among professors and students, observations were made of academic activities, and focus groups were held with students from two courses. By means of the analysis categories associated with the hidden curriculum, it was possible to note the values that are more or less present in the professional socialization process involved in conflicts of interest, in matters of area prestige, in the power of the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, as well as in the models in which students reflect on their identity. Discussing and reflecting on these findings allow one to make progress in understanding the complexity of factors that make up the 'actual curriculum' and shape the ethical dimension of vocational training, which is so important to develop future professionals-citizens who are ethically sensitive and socially competent.
hidden curriculum; undergraduate course in dentistry; health education; ethics; bioethics