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Unit of study_
SDDM5125: Foundations of Dentistry 1
2025 unit information
In this unit, students will participate in various learning activities to establish foundational knowledge and skills needed for dental practice. Concepts such as the social and commercial determinants of health and digital health systems are introduced to further facilitate student examination of the professional environment of oral health care. Students gain understanding of strategies for the prevention of oral diseases and health promotion and continue to develop skills with data, formulating research questions and searching for relevant evidence. This unit continues a program of learning in the oral and systemic biosciences. Students continue development of skills and knowledge in tooth restoration and prosthetic construction in simulation and laboratory settings and radiography, periodontics and endodontics are added. Experience in clinical settings fosters engagement with the patient interview and dental examination.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Discipline of Population Oral Health |
| Credit points | 24 |
|
Prerequisites:
?
|
SDDM5115 |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
?
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None |
| Prohibitions:
?
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
?
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Biological sciences |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Explore and reflect upon the social determinants of health and their relationship to oral health
- LO2. Describe and apply key concepts of prevention in dentistry, such as the common risk approach and community-level health promotion strategies
- LO3. Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of water fluoridation as a population-level preventive intervention for dental caries
- LO4. Critically appraise how preventive strategies in dentistry apply in private practice through engagement with the wider dental community
- LO5. Conceptualise how cultural competency applies to oral health and the impacts of structural inequality upon health outcomes.
- LO6. Demonstrate key aspects of effective interpersonal communication for healthcare
- LO7. Critically explain the impact of oral health problems on individuals and their families with focus on vulnerable and disadvantaged populations for example children, elderly and people with cognitive or other disability
- LO8. Describe the structure and function of the oral and maxillofacial regions and explain the clinical significance of normal and anatomical variation
- LO9. Integrate knowledge in oral and systemic biosciences to explain the clinical features and pathophysiological mechanisms of common systemic diseases and related oral manifestations
- LO10. Communicate biomedical concepts and scientific principles relevant to real-life scenarios
- LO11. Apply knowledge and skills in bioscience to deliver safe and person-centred care, including comprehensive clinical information gathering and interpretation, confident management of medical emergencies, and rational prescribing Dental Schedule medicines
- LO12. Demonstrate scientific inquiry skills, apply biomedical and health data science, and collaborate and communicate effectively to seek solutions for improved oral health care outcomes
- LO13. Describe the foundational concepts in materials science
- LO14. Critically evaluate a peer-reviewed publication to answer a clinical question
- LO15. Apply the knowledge and skills in research methodology to conduct the proposed project and disseminate the generated knowledge in the form of a written report.
- LO16. Develop and demonstrate professionalism through participating and learning in anatomy dissection room
- LO17. Acquire and acknowledge the cultures, experiences, strengths and health needs of indigenous individuals and communities to provide health care in a holistic manner
- LO18. Describe the caries causation and prevention, clinical and radiographic characteristics of dental carious lesions
- LO19. Explain characteristics of periodontal diseases. Perform screening process, basic diagnostic and therapy of periodontal diseases in simulated and clinical settings
- LO20. Demonstrate disciplinary knowledge in tooth conservation and technical skills in more complex cavity design and restorations using direct restorative materials.
- LO21. Describe and apply the basics involved in conducting a dental clinical examination and documenting this (including odontogram) following required procedures and protocols
- LO22. Demonstrate effective radiographic technique with intraoral radiographs. Identify radiographic anatomy on radiographic images
- LO23. Complete the prescribed technical steps involved in constructing a complete maxillary acrylic dental prosthesis and a partial mandibular acrylic dental prosthesis case, and describe the steps involved in construction of acrylic and cobalt chrome prostheses
- LO24. Demonstrate nutrition and diet linkages with health and disease
- LO25. Describe and Demonstrate foundation disciplinary knowledge in Endodontics.
- LO26. Participate in discussions around ethics, law and professionalism that will build skills in critical thinking and the application of knowledge on ethical and legal principles to the context of dentistry and oral health
- LO27. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of digital health technologies in dentistry, including tele dentistry and digital dentistry, electronic health records, and patient-facing technologies. Articulate the legal and ethical aspects and the professional implications of digital technologies in dental healthcare.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 2 2025
|
Normal day | Surry Hills, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
