Oral Health Therapy Research

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

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 Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject comprises 3 modules.

Health Policy: Policy making, stakeholders, processes and evidence, public health policy and oral health and some current dilemmas in health care.

Sociology: Concepts and theories on the arrangement of society and the influences that shape it; how people form values and cultures; class, status, gender and ethnicity; the influences of political, socio demographic and socio-economic factors on health; the sociology of health and illness and its influences on research methodology.

Oral Health Therapy Research: Students complete either the Health Promotion unit or the Outreach Elective Studies unit. Health Promotion comprises project work in the field of oral health therapy with emphasis on the areas of oral health promotion and preventive dentistry. Outreach Elective Studies comprises development and project work in an area of interest to extend student's oral health therapy skills during the year.

On completion of this subject the student should:

(1) Comprehend:
a) the characteristics of public health programs and their evaluation; and
b) the resources available to oral health professionals in the promotion of oral health

(2) Demonstrate:
a) the capacity to:
• communicate with people to identify and address their health needs;
• review and apply research skills and evidence based practice to oral health therapy practice.

b) an appreciation of sociological inquiry

(3) Have developed:
a) Skills in:
• information seeking, evaluation and retrieval;
• intercultural sensitivity and understanding;
• planning and organisation
• oral and written communication
• applying ethical principles to the practice of oral health therapy

b) An openness to new ideas; and
c) Extended knowledge in a specialist area of oral health therapy practice.

(4) Appreciate:
a) the collaborative role of agencies and health care providers in the community in the promotion of oral health
b) the role of evidence based practice in the promotion of oral health
c) the capacity of health promotion to contribute to the improvement of oral health outcomes in the community.

1) Two written assignments of no more than 1000 words each to be submited mid-April; 2) one written report of no more than 3000 words (per student) covering the theoretical and practical aspects of the outreach placement or research project undertaken - to be submitted at the end of Semester 2; and 3) an oral presentation (of 15 minutes' duration) outlining the learning and value of the work undertaken. A pass is each of sections 2 and 3 is required for an overall pass in this subject.

• Health in Australia: Sociological Concepts and Issues (C Grbich (ed)), 2nd edn, Prentice Hall, 2004
• Evaluating Health Promotion: A Health Workers' Guide (P Hawe, D Degeling and J Hall), McLennan and Petty, 1990
• Bioethics and Clinical Ethics for Health Care Professionals (KR Mitchell, IH Kerridge and JJ Lovat), 2nd edn, Social Science Press, NSW, 1996
• Understanding Health Promotion (Keleher H, MacDougall C and Murphy B) 2007, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne
• Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (WL Neuman), 4th edn, Boston, Allyn and Bacon, 2000
• Introduction to Research in the Health Sciences (S Polgar and S Thomas), Churchill Livingstone, 2000
• Health Behaviour and Health Education: Theory, Research and Practice, (Glanz K, Rimer BK and Viswanath K) 2008 4th ed, Jossey-Bass

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Analytical assessment
• Evaluation and reporting
• Ethics
• Reporting evidence