511-111 Society and Health

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Subject Description:

This subject covers the following areas: society and preventive dentistry; developmental perspectives and education; health science communication and research methods; applied behavioural science and community studies.

On completion of this subject, the student should:

Comprehend: the basic concepts of community and social structures and the implications for health and oral health; the principles of the aetiology and prevention of common oral diseases; the relevance of psychology and human development to health care and good dental practice; the principles of teaching methodologies and curriculum planning; health education and promotion philosophies; and the common problem behaviours amongst patients, parents and health workers.

Demonstrate skills in: identification and charting of dental plaques; collating, graphing and interpreting data; and developing, presenting and evaluating small group instruction sessions for a variety of target groups.

Appreciate: the wisdom of health maintenance rather than the treatment of preventable disease; the dimensions of health education and health promotion within the delivery of dental, medical, allied health and educational services; the responsibilities of dental therapists, dental hygienists, and the dental profession toward the provision of preventive care and treatment of oral disease at individual and community levels; and the range of differing health care needs of individuals and groups within the community and diversity of the methods needed to provide them.

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