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Unit of study_
SDDM5115: Introduction to Dentistry
2026 unit information
In this unit, students will participate in various learning activities to introduce dentistry in the context of healthcare and society. Concepts such as the social contract and patient centred care are introduced to facilitate student examination of the professional environment of oral health care. Sudents explore career pathways, and begin to develop skills with data, formulating research questions and searching for relevant evidence. This unit contains a program of learning in head and neck anatomy, tooth morphology and introductory concepts in basic science to establish the biomedical basis of dentistry. Students commence development of skills in tooth restoration and prosthetic construction in simulation and laboratory settings. Students are encouraged to consider the scope of practice and professional competencies of a dentist.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Discipline of Restorative and Reconstructive Dentistry |
| Credit points | 24 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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Biological science |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Demonstrate application of the principle of health as a fundamental human right to oral health and describe the FDI definition of oral health. Define health, disability, illness
- LO2. Examine careers in dentistry and personal journeys into a healthcare career
- LO3. Engage in reflection on key issues in oral healthcare provision, including access to services; disparities in healthcare infrastructure; and, the oral healthcare workforce.
- LO4. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how the concept of the social contract as a framework for professionalism in dentistry applies to the practice of students and qualified practitioners
- LO5. Examine key issues in ethical practice, such as management of conflict of interest, commercialism and self-regulation.
- LO6. Engage in narrative techniques to explore the meaning of patient-centred care as it relates to clinical practice and patient safety
- LO7. Critically explain the impact of oral health problems on individuals and their families
- LO8. Describe the structure and function of the oral and maxillofacial regions and explain the clinical significance of normal and anatomical variation
- LO9. Communicate biomedical concepts and scientific principles relevant to real-life scenarios
- LO10. Describe oral conditions such as dental caries, periodontal diseases, tooth loss and from several perspectives: socio-cultural, microbiological, pathological, epidemiologic
- LO11. Understand quantitative and qualitative research methods used to generate scientific research
- LO12. Evaluate and apply the 5-step EBP process to answer a clinical question
- LO13. Critically evaluate a peer-reviewed publication to answer a clinical question
- LO14. Describe fundamental principles of learning and teaching and demonstrate teaching a topic and a skill, and engaging in feedback conversations with peers
- LO15. Demonstrate effective inter-professional behaviours in collaboration and communication with peers and colleagues and in providing and receiving constructive feedback
- LO16. Describe the principles of infection prevention and infection control and demonstrate its application in clinical and simulated clinical settings
- LO17. Assist with provision of dental care for patients in various clinical settings
- LO18. Acquire and acknowledge the cultures, experiences, strengths and health needs of indigenous individuals and communities to provide health care in a holistic manner
- LO19. Demonstrate competent technical and decision-making skills in cavity design and restoration placement using direct restorative materials in simple cavities
- LO20. Evaluate and manage an edentulous patient with removable prosthesis and complete the prescribed technical steps involved in constructing a complete dental prosthesis
- LO21. Have a holistic understanding of the biological and sociocultural basis of nutrition
- LO22. Developing competence in assessment, examination and diagnosis of dental carious lesions and gain experience in implementing caries management system CMS).
- LO23. Developing competence in diagnosing early carious lesions using ICDAS criteria and using DIAGNOdent tool.
- LO24. Developing competence in Risk management such as Case presentation, Informed consent, behaviour management and oral hygiene coaching.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2026
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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