Comprehensive Dental Practice 2

This subject is not offered in 2014.

up to 585 contact hours (indicative), 54 non-contact (indicative)

Successful completion of Comprehensive Dental Practice 1.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject comprises general dental practice in the Melbourne Dental Clinic (MDC), urban community health centres, specialist practice/hospital clinics and rural community health clinics.

This subject is a consolidation of all components of dental practice learned in the prior 3 years of the DDS course. The principal aim is the practical application of current, evidence-based dental care in the provision of comprehensive oral health care to patients.

Clinical practice will consist of all aspects of provision of oral health care including preventive dentistry, conservative dentistry, fixed and removable prosthodontics, endodontics, periodontics, exodontia and oral medicine. The clinical treatment provided will strongly emphasise ‘patient centred care’.

The specialist practice/hospital clinic rotations will include learning in each of the specialty disciplines in dentistry. These will comprise attendance at specialist clinics at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and Melbourne Dental Clinic and observing postgraduate student clinical sessions in the specialties of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Prosthodontics (including implant dentistry), Endodontics, Periodontics, Special Needs Dentistry, Radiology and Paediatric Dentistry.

The clinical rotations at the rural community health clinics will comprise 4 or 5 weeks at Shepparton (Goulburn Valley Health, Rumbalara Oral Health Centre, Mooroopna and Cobram Health) and at La Trobe Community Health Centre, Morwell.

Each student will attend two 2 hour tutorials/seminars in treatment planning facilitated by academic staff throughout the year. Students are recommended to present and discuss management of a minimum of two patients each at these seminars.

This course is conducted in the last semester of the DDS course. At this level students should be able to apply knowledge and skills gained throughout the course and work as independent practitioners. Students will require minimal assistance from clinical supervisors in identifying patient’s expectations, desires and attitudes during gathering of information and making treatment plans. They will be competent with all of the general dental procedures routinely carried out by a general dentist. They will demonstrate good communication skills with patients, peers and the dental team which will be an important component in their clinical practice as a professional in the following year,

On completion of this subject students should:

1. demonstrate appropriate caring behaviour towards patients and maintain professional relationships between themselves and patients;
2. understand the ethical principles and legal responsibilities involved in the provision of dental care;
3. be able to provide patient-centred care, maintain patient confidentiality, respect patients’ self-esteem and focus on the patient’s best interests at all times;
4. be able to practise evidence-based dentistry;
5. have developed skills in learning from experience and be able to reflect and learn throughout their professional career (lifelong learning);
6. use contemporary information technology for documentation, management of information and applications related to health care;
7. have developed effective communication skills to gather necessary information from patients;
8. be able to identify patients’ expectations, desires and attitudes when planning and providing treatment;
9. be able to communicate well with other members of the dental team;
10. be able to apply the scientific principles of sterilisation, disinfection and antisepsis, and cross infection control to clinical practice;
11. understand and apply the regulations relating to the use of ionising radiation, including radiation protection and dose reduction;
12. have developed skills in gathering relevant information (obtaining a complete history) and performing an appropriate examination (of soft and hard tissues) including appropriate special investigations;
13. be able to synthesise the information collected in order to arrive at a diagnosis;
14. demonstrate skills in formulating appropriate treatment plans to suit the patient (for simple and complex general dental conditions), be able to propose treatment options (based on sound oral health care philosophies) and discuss with the patient to arrive at the treatment of choice;
15. demonstrate the process of obtaining and recording informed consent for all forms of treatment;
16. be able to manage periodontal disease, caries and loss of tooth structure due to other factors, manage pulp and peri-radicular disease and disorders, manage loss of teeth and related disabilities through provision of removable or fixed prostheses including implants;
17. be able to diagnose orofacial pain and TMD disorders and manage simple conditions;
18. demonstrate the ability to diagnose and manage psychological and behavioural issues arising from dental conditions and also those behavioural factors that impact on dental treatment;
19. have developed skills to safely perform a wide range of clinical procedures which are pertinent to general dental practice;
20. recognise and know when to refer patients to specialists or to seek advice appropriately;
21. engage in oral health promotion;
22. engage in professional development activities.

• Clinical supervisor reports - provided throughout Blocks 3 and 4 (20%)
• 1 x 30 minute computer-based viva voce examination on integrated treatment planning of standardised patient case at the end of Block 4 (35%)
• 1 x 40 minute case presentation (including a viva voce) of management of a patient (with complex clinical procedures) with complete records selected from the patient folio (45%).
• Preparation of reflective patient folio of clinical practice including patients treated throughout the various rotations in Blocks 3 and 4 - No weighting, formative assessment.

The reflective patient folio must be completed in order to pass this subject overall.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Generic Attributes

• Workplace safety;
• Developing inter-professional team relationships;
• Independent learning;
• Communication;
• Observation and organization;
• Evaluation;
• First Aid procedures;
• Planning and Presenting;
• Value and application of evidence;
• Conflict resolution and management of people;
• Professional practice and ethics;
• An openness to new ideas;
• Ability to evaluate and synthesize research and professional literature;
• Highly-developed problem-solving abilities characterized by flexibility of approach;
• Superior capacity to articulate knowledge and understanding in oral and written presentations;
• Capacity to manage competing demands on time, including self-directed project work;
• Capacity to engage where appropriate with issues in contemporary society.