Introduction: Teacher-student interaction is one of the most important aspects for adequate development of the learning process. Objectives: To interpret and describe the interaction between students and teachers in the School of Dentistry at the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia by approaching their experiences in different learning environments. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out with an approach and method that take up elements of ethnography. Ten in-depth interviews with students and teachers as well as participant observation were conducted, and field journals were completed. For the analysis, pre-established and emerging categories were considered, from which several trends emerged. Results: Students express continuity of a role of power by some of the teachers in the clinical area, which is reflected in the imposition of authority and little recognition of the student. Teachers, through their experiences, question the way in which students from the new generations understand the discipline.