DEOH203 Oral Health Therapy 2

The principles and practice of dental therapy.

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Limited to

BOH

Contact

oral.health@otago.ac.nz

Teaching staff

Dr Susan Moffat

Textbooks

Recommended:

Cameron AC & Widmer RP (2013). Handbook of Pediatric Dentistry. 4th edition. London: Mosby-Elsevier (this is also available online through the University Library now)

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

The objective of this paper is to integrate topics in preventive and restorative dentistry to enable students to reach clinical proficiency in specific areas of patient treatment. In addition students will be introduced to aspects pertaining to the organisation and support necessary to practise dental therapy.

1. Promoting knowledge:
   • Demonstrating knowledge in specific areas of clinical dentistry as they relate to the practice of dental therapy
   • Demonstrating an understanding of the principles of infection control and clinical practice
   • Developing knowledge of the role of dental therapy in New Zealand
2. Promoting understanding:
   • Demonstrating the ability to critically assess information in oral health
3. Promoting lifelong learning:
   • Encouraging lifelong learning by providing a stimulating and high-quality learning environment that encourages students to challenge, critique and question knowledge related to oral health

Enabling competencies:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of infection and sterilisation, based on an understanding of the spread of infectious diseases and their clinical application
• Demonstrate knowledge of the procedures used to obtain a detailed medical, social and dental history and formulate a rational approach to oral health care
• Demonstrate an ability to plan oral health care for patients based on scientific rationale and individual needs of patients and demonstrate an ability to monitor the outcomes of treatment
• Demonstrate an ability to correctly classify a patient's occlusion
• Demonstrate an understanding of the use of antibiotics, analgesics and other relevant medications
• Demonstrate an ability to accurately record normal and abnormal pathological conditions that might influence patient management and treatment
• Demonstrate an understanding of diagnosis and treatment planning and the clinical techniques used for caries prevention, local analgesia, radiography, cavity preparation, placement of restorations and extraction of primary teeth, pulpotomies and stainless steel crowns
• Describe the clinical and radiographic anatomy of any erupted tooth and its supporting structures with regard to the principles of extraction of primary teeth
• Demonstrate an understanding of anatomy and clinical techniques used for the application of topical or local anaesthesia for children and adolescents
• Demonstrate understanding of the physical and biological properties of materials used in clinical practice and their interactions with the oral and dental tissues
• Demonstrate an understanding of the growth and physical and social development of children and behaviour management techniques used in dentistry for children
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles of education and communication to explain to the patient, and their parent/caregiver, procedures and obtain their informed consent
• Demonstrate an awareness of the principles of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights as they apply to the practice of dental therapy
• Apply the principles of oral health instruction

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