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Unit of study_

DENT5101: Foundations for Population Oral Health

This unit will provide students with an advanced understanding of the importance of population oral health in relation to the wider context of dentistry. This unit focuses on the determinants of oral health and the importance of upstream measures to address the root causes of oral diseases and the planning, implementing and evaluating of these approaches. In taking a population-level approach to the management of oral health and well-being, students will develop understanding of key interventions such as community water fluoridation. The sociological aspects of oral health and the dental profession will also be explored and students will learn about planning and implementing oral health policies.

Code DENT5101
Academic unit Discipline of Population Oral Health
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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Comprehensive knowledge in all aspects of General Dentistry, particularly in Restorative Dentistry and Oral Rehabilitation

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. apply the key elements of population health to the context of oral health
  • LO2. demonstrate understanding of why social, economic and environmental factors influence the health of people more than health care
  • LO3. outline the sociological aspects of oral health and the dental profession. This includes demonstrating understanding of concepts of medicalisation and the relevance of these to population oral health
  • LO4. recognise why a multidisciplinary approach is required to develop model approaches and best practices for oral health promotion and disease prevention
  • LO5. apply the whole-team approach to the prevention and treatment of dental disease
  • LO6. display understanding of claims made against water fluoridation and empathise with those who object with water fluoridation as a public health intervention
  • LO7. outline why population preventive programs provide more health gains than prevention at an individual level

Unit outlines

Unit outlines will be available 2 weeks before the first day of teaching for the relevant session.