Clinical Practice in Specialty 1

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 is the first subject involving clinical practice for students enrolled in the Doctor of Clinical Dentistry. It is offered in these specialties:

ENDODONTICS: Patients are treated in a modern endodontic unit in a public dental hospital setting, under the supervision of specialist endodontists. Emphasis is on management of complex cases, and includes non-surgical and surgical treatment. Weekly case presentations and clinical conferences provide a review of cases in progress. Students are encouraged to submit case reports to journals for publication. All postgraduate students contribute to the undergraduate teaching activities of the unit, generally in the preclinical laboratory and undergraduate endodontic clinic, for one session per week.

ORAL MEDICINE: A series of supervised clinical opportunities to examine and provide care for patients with oral mucosal lesions, orofacial pain or temporomandibular dysfunction. Continuous assessment of clinical performance will be augmented by written paper and oral examinations on both clinical skills, histological diagnosis and patient management. Students will be required to pass all sections (clinical, laboratory and theory) of this subject.

ORTHODONTICS: Students carry out clinical work on patients selected to provide the student with a wide range of contemporary clinical experiences including functional appliance treatment, combined orthodontic-orthognathic surgery treatment and complex interdisciplinary treatment. All clinical work is carried out under the supervision of well-known specialist orthodontists. Weekly diagnosis and treatment-planning sessions are held throughout the course and students take part in special clinics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Royal Children's Hospital. Students participate in the teaching of undergraduate dental students for one session per week.

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY: Students treats pediatric patients at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and associated clinics. Treatment involves the clinical management of dental problems in children and adolescents, and introduction to the dental management of children with medically compromising conditions.Later year students also treat medically compromised patients and participate in a mini-residency at the Royal Children's Hospital. Case presentations are held regularly and each student builds up a collection of thoroughly documented, long-term cases they have treated. The maintenance of a patient log-book is required. In addition, students participate in the teaching of undergraduate dental students for one session per week.

PERIODONTICS: Clinical experience is gained through clinical training sessions within the Periodontics Unit of the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, under the supervision of specialist periodontists. A broad spectrum of cases is provided and includes both the long-term management of moderate and advanced periodontitis and interdisciplinary referrals from other departments. Weekly clinical case presentations provide an ongoing review of selected cases. In the third year of the course students are required to attend clinics in the Oral Medicine Unit and various selected external clinics and specialist practices.

PROSTHODONTICS: Clinical training consists of clinical activities in fixed, removable and implant prosthodontics under the close supervision of academics and visiting specialists. There is some exposure to maxillofacial prosthetics. Formal and informal links exist with other specialty programs for total patient care. There is a dedicated technical laboratory available for graduate use, and students are expected to undertake significant amounts of technical work themselves. Students participate in the teaching of undergraduate dental students for one session per week.

SPECIAL NEEDS DENTISTRY: Clinical experience is provided in treating Special Needs patients at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and its associated clinics, and in selected other hospitals. Maintenance of a clinical patient log book will be supplemented by weekly clinical review meetings at which students will present cases they have treated. A regular patient review meeting will also be held for cases requiring clinical treatment using sedation or general anaesthesia. Students will participate in the teaching of undergraduate dental students for one session per week.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.