| CODE | ORC2010 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Preventive and Community Dentistry | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Oral Rehabilitation and Community Care | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit covers the teaching sessions in preventive and community dentistry. It introduces the basic principles in preventive dentistry. It consists of formal lectures, tutorials and fieldwork. The field work could involve compiling information regarding food items from supermarkets, site visits to schools, demonstration of oral hygiene instructions, nutritional advice and smoking cessation advice to people during talks and outreach sessions. Independent study time is also factored in. Topics include conventional preventive subjects such as plaque, sugars, diet, and fluoride, introducing the factors determining oral health and the most effective ways of preventing oral diseases such as caries, periodontal disease and toothwear. The study-unit is designed so that the student is able to use the theoretical and practical knowledge gained and apply it to various patient and public situations encountered in the practice of dental surgery. Study-Unit Aims: The emphasis of this study-unit is to give the student a thorough appreciation of how dental diseases occur, what their risk factors are, and the the most effective ways of how they can be prevented. Subjects taught will include: a) factors determining oral health; b) the formation of dental plaque and its relationship to caries and periodontal diseases; c) Sugars and caries. Further teaching includes the prevention of caries, periodontal diseases, prevention of toothwear and prevention through the life course. The student will be taught the skills to deliver effective health education. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a) Describe the causes and effects of oral diseases needed for their prevention; b) Discuss mechanisms of caries prevention agents, their methods of application and administration; c) Explain the relationship between plaque and caries and plaque and periodontal diseases; d) Explain the evidence-based relationship between sugar consumption and caries development; e) Name the materials available for use clinically to help in controlling oral diseases; f) Describe how fluoride works in the prevention of dental caries and be able to describe the advantages and disadvantages of different modes of delivery; g) Discuss prevention of diseases through the lifecourse; h) Explain how to reduce the incidence of dental erosion. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a) Communicate effective health education; b) Educate persons concerning the aetiology and prevention of oral diseases and encourage them to assume responsibility for their health; c) Increase persons' awareness on the role of oral hygiene; d) Provide oral hygiene instructions using the different oral hygiene aids available such as dental floss, interdental brushes, plaque disclosing tablets; e) Provide dietary counseling and nutritional education relevant to oral health; f) Prescribe the appropriate antimicrobial therapy in the management of plaque related diseases; g) Deliver oral disease prevention for groups; h) Prepare,deliver and discuss a presentation about fluoride debating the politics around water fluoridation; i) Identify oral habits that may exacerbate oral disease, and thus prevent their consequences through patient education and advice, as needed; j) Prepare and deliver a presentation about recommendations for a healthy diet. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Prevention of Oral Disease (4th Edition) John J Murray, June H Nunn, James G Steele Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-263279-1 - Essential of Dental Caries Edwina Kidd Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-852978-1 |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Please note that a pass in the Examination component is obligatory for an overall pass mark to be awarded. Attendance to scheduled sessions, inclusive of lectures/tutorials, practical, laboratory and clinical components is compulsory. Students who do not attend at least 90% of the scheduled sessions will not be allowed to sit for any of the assessment components mentioned below. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Group Learning, Fieldwork, Lecture & Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Emma Schembri Anne-Marie Agius Carmen Caruana Gabriella Gatt Silvana Mifsud Pauline Vassallo |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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