Informe de vigilancia competitiva como apoyo de la propuesta de creación de un programa de Técnico Profesional en Salud Oral de la Universidad Santo Tomás, Bucaramanga

Abstract

This report seeks to support the initiative to create the Professional Technician in Oral Health (TPSO) at Universidad Santo Tomás–Bucaramanga through a competitive-intelligence exercise that demonstrates its academic, labor-market, and social relevance, with emphasis on competencies to support clinical care, biosafety, and information management, and alignment with SDGs 3, 4, and 8. The methodological approach is based on UNE 166006:2018, combining academic and regulatory sources with labor-market indicators to analyze supply, demand, and trends, and to ensure coherence with institutional policies and those of Colombia’s Ministry of National Education (MEN). Accordingly, it articulates three fronts: analysis of SNIES to characterize program supply and the flows of applicants, admissions, enrollment, and graduation; review of OLE to estimate employability and Contribution Base Income (IBC); and a bibliographic mapping with Tree of Science to identify conceptual foundations, curricular structures, and recent trends in oral-health education. To this end, a Scopus search equation was designed, and processing with ToS provided traceability and rigor to extract findings applicable to the design of the academic program. In terms of results, SNIES shows that at the national level only Politécnico Internacional currently offers an in-person academic program in Bogotá; in the department of Santander there are no active professional technical programs in oral health, although USTA leads technological-level training in Dental Laboratory, revealing a regional gap and an opportunity for decentralization and stepwise articulation. Between 2014 and 2023, applicants peaked in 2017 (763) and dropped to 3 in 2023; admissions decreased from 684 (2017) to 6 (2023); total enrollment fell from 1,560 (2017) to 441 (2023), while first-year enrollment remained nearly constant; graduates peaked in 2018 (195). This pattern confirms a concentration of supply and room for a regional proposal with a continuous educational pathway—Professional Technician → Technology → Dentistry—leveraging existing infrastructure and university clinics. OLE indicators reinforce the program’s pertinence: average employability for recent TPSO graduates is 63.34% (2019–2022) and, across all cohorts, 73.35%, with a stable IBC and a share of social-security contributors above 70%, suggesting employment continuity and rapid placement in clinics and specialized services. The ToS mapping confirms a sustained shift toward competency-based curricula with objective assessment, portfolios, and simulation as quality standards; the “trunk” underscores curricular integration and interprofessional education, while the “leaves” prioritize curricular sustainability, blended learning, and faculty upskilling in educational technologies. Among the most significant trends are: designing a preventive, community-oriented curriculum that addresses social determinants; strengthening inclusive care for older adults, people with disabilities, and diverse communities through communication competencies (including sign language) and intercultural competence; incorporating Industry-4.0 technologies (digital radiology and scanning, 3D modeling, 3D printing), simulation, and virtual reality for safe practice and OSCE-based assessment; and promoting internationalization, interprofessional collaboration, and continuous evaluation of technical, digital, ethical, and socio-emotional competencies. These trends can inform the development of content, learning environments, and assessment in the proposed program, helping to close gaps in access and quality.