Intro to Professional Dental Practice

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2011:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

On completion of this subject, the student will:

be competent to discuss:

1. the range of oral health care needs of individuals and groups within the community and the diversity of the methods needed to provide them;
2. the range of patients' socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds, together with variations in community health;
3. the importance of inter-professional team relationships in the provision of oral health care;
4. the common clinical activities undertaken by oral health care providers and the risks and hazards to the oral health care worker;
5. the dynamics of the patient/health professional relationship and the implications of behaviour in the delivery of dental care;
6. the biological, behavioural and ethical principles during the delivery of clinical dental services.

demonstrate skills:

1. required for communication, counselling and patient management;
2. in the application of epidemiological principles to solve dental public health problems.

1. 1 x 2 hour written exam on Current Issues in Health Care and Communication Skills, Law and Ethics in Dentistry and Behavioural Science at the end of Teaching Block 2 (50%);
2. 1 x 1000 word assignment on Current Issues in Health Care - to be submitted at the end of Teaching Block 2 (25%);
3. 1 x 1000 word assignment on Population Oral Health - to be submitted at the end of Teaching Block 2 (25%).

Formative assessment: Communication skills OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) video using peer-review.

Burt BA, Eklund SA (eds) 2005 Dentistry, Dental Practice and the Community 6th ed, Saunders Elsevier

Mostofsky DI, Forgione AG, Giddon DB (eds) 2006 Behavioural Dentistry, Wiley-Blackwell

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students should be able to:

1. access new knowledge from different sources, analyse and interpret it in a critical manner;
2. develop skills in effective communication with teaching staff and peers;
3. develop effective organisational skills and time management;
4. develop skills in team work;
5. identify and address their own learning needs;
6. develop skills in professional communication.