Oral Health Promotion in Clinical and Population Settings (ZTMVK_077)
About Study Course
Objective
Part 1. To raise awareness of possibilities for public dental care, to create positive, professional attitude to promotion of general and oral health and to raise awareness of planning and development of different oral health promotion and education programmes for different age groups. Part 2. Cariology - to develop skills of patient examination, caries diagnostic and detection of carious lesions, prevention and early treatment of caries using evidence-based methods and materials; provide knowledge about the correct documentation of the patient and development of individual prevention and treatment plans.
Prerequisites
Biology, microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, histology, embryology, dental anatomy, fundamentals in cariology, cariology, periodontology.
Learning outcomes
1st part - Will get understanding of the principles of primary health care, common risk factor approach, systems for Oral healthcare in Latvia and abroad. Understanding of principles, approaches for oral health promotion and education, role of the dental team in oral and health promotion.
2nd part - The behavioural sciences including the psychological and sociological principles underlying interpersonal skills, communication and behaviour modification.
Behavioural factors that facilitate the delivery of preventive dental care.
Patient-related factors influencing the outcome of the communication of preventive advice, for example, expectations, compliance over time and manual dexterity.
Non-verbal communication, for example intonation, body language, sitting position and eye contact.
Behavioural interventions such as motivational interviewing.
Enabling the patient to recognise the association between oral and systemic diseases.
Be familiar with culturally related differences in behaviour.
Be familiar with the theoretical basis of emerging strategies and materials for the prevention and management of dental caries and other dental hard tissue disorders.
The physical and biological science of radiography as related to detection and assessment of caries and other dental hard tissue disorders.
The mode of action, composition, properties, limitations and side effects of commonly available materials, products and techniques for the preventive non-surgical and surgical management of dental caries and other dental hard tissue disorders, at individual, group and population levels.
The indices for different oral problems.
1st part - Upon completion of the course the students will be able to evaluate and use into their practical work the basic principles of health promotion and education. Will be able at first to understand and suggest preventive programmes and strategies opposite to treatment regimen in dentistry. Will be able to evaluate dental patients' preventive needs - eating habits, dental hygiene skills, give smoking cessation advices, educate dental patients how to prevent dental trauma and act in case of a trauma.
2nd part - Establishing a trusting patient–dentist relationship.
Communicating the results of risk assessment with patients or others and providing recommendations to enable patients to reduce the risk of developing new caries lesions and/or progression of existing lesions in the future.
Identifying patient expectations, desires, attitudes, needs and demands when considering preventive treatment planning.
Identifying the psychological, physical and social factors that might have an influence on patient compliance and thereby on the outcome of preventive measures implemented and advised.
Involving the patient to promote their understanding of the disease and enhance cooperation in professional and individual preventive measures as a contribution to their future oral health.
Obtaining informed consent for delivery of all aspects of preventive care.
Working with other members of the dental team and having a clear knowledge of their roles and responsibilities during individualised preventive care and maintenance.
Appropriately sharing information and professional knowledge with other health care professionals and knowing when to refer high caries risk patients to secondary care.
Educating patients concerning the aetiology of dental hard tissue disease and encouraging them to assume responsibility for their oral health.
Educating patients concerning dietary habits relevant to oral health.
Teaching patients to perform appropriate oral hygiene measures.
Performing professional tooth cleaning.
Administering preventive agents (e.g. f luorides) appropriately.
Monitoring the effects of mechanical and chemical plaque control.
Applying fissure and proximal sealants.
Taking into account the needs of risk groups (e.g. aged or disabled or patients with systemic or psychiatric disease).
Recording caries and other dental hard tissue disorders using appropriate indices at different disease levels in a public health setting.
1st part - Upon completion of the course the students will have ability to educate dental patients and to provide primary oral health care for population in different age groups. Will have ability to develop and take part in the process of implementation of different oral health promotion programmes for different age groups.
2nd part - Applying knowledge and understanding of the biological, medical, basic and applied clinical sciences in order to recognise caries and make decisions about their prevention and management in individuals and populations.
Communicating the aspects of prevention effectively, interactively and reflectively with patients of all ages, their families and carers. The communication style has to consider the age and the social circumstances of the patient/community and the environment in which this is imparted.
Collecting, interpreting and synthesising all relevant information needed to formulate appropriate treatment options, which can be presented to and discussed with the patient to arrive at a shared decision for an individualised treatment plan. This includes a preventive care strategy according to the needs, risks and compliance possibilities at the individual, family, group or community level. This nonsurgical disease management should consider not only the site and tooth but also patient-related factors. This requires an awareness of the potential to change and monitor risk over time. Furthermore, the graduating dentist must be competent at systematically evaluating all pre- ventive treatment outcomes at recall and formulating alternative treatment plans when required.
Study course planning
| Study programme | Study semester | Program level | Study course category | Lecturers | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dentistry, SSNSFz | 6 | Master’s | Required | Egita Senakola, Natālija Protasa, Olga Sļepcova |
| Study programme | Study semester | Program level | Study course category | Lecturers | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dentistry, ZF | 6 | Master’s | Required | Olga Sļepcova, Natālija Protasa, Egita Senakola | |
| Dentistry, SSNSF | 6 | Master’s | Required | Olga Sļepcova, Agnese Rivare-Pālena, Egita Senakola |
