Dental Medicine

Dental Medicine

The NVU DMD Educational program is formed with the strong commitment to develop caring, competent, confident specialist for dental medicine through outcome- based teaching approach; ensuring high quality of healthcare and biomedical research in academic and clinical settings; to provide medical training, predominantly in a practical environment (where acquisition and organization of knowledge match with practical application of gained competencies), based on ethical values, respect for individual autonomy and on the premise of rational and efficient interference; to support students’ development of understanding of the essence of Dental Medicine, equip them with skills necessary for working in diverse health care settings, be competent and competitive in a multicultural environment; to raise professionals with high employment chances to be able to make a career in diverse health care settings and multicultural environment. The education process is formed for the raising students’ interest and strength, to open new opportunities and to encourage students for the continuing learning approach. Through the NVU’s different training programs, NVU DMD students can provide required oral health services to the community, while expansion their knowledge about public health problems. These academically based training programs offer students and faculty members to take part in community-based activities as an important component of academic work.

Employed teaching and assessment methodologies enable the acquisition and organization of knowledge match with practical application of gained competencies. It is based on the mixture of interactive teaching (including class discussions) and promotion of independent personal and group learning. The combination of theoretical components, problem solving and practical experience, aims at the development of knowledge, skills and autonomy and responsibility needed for successful participation in prevention of dental diseases, dental care process and dental rehabilitation in line with the requirements of complex and constantly changing labor market.

The primacy of student opportunities for one’s own profile formation is achieved by the wide range of General Competence courses and the methodology applied therein.

For each subject selected assessment methods provide the most useful and relevant information for the objectives and learning outcomes that the program identified. Principles of outcome-based education imply that teaching, learning and assessment are conducted on the basis of pre-defined competencies of graduates in accordance to the “top-bottom” principle.

General Competence (GC)

• Introduction to Sociology and Social Psychology
• Academic Writing
• Research Methods
• Introduction to Philosophy
• History of World Civilization
• Critical Thinking and Logic
• Introduction to Law
• Communication and Negotiation
• Game Theory
• Presenting for Success
• Calculus
• Introduction to Statistics
• World Culture

Basics of Medicine (BM)

• Body Systems (Anatomy, Physiology)
• Life Sciences (Cell and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology)
• Pathophysiology
• Communication Skills in Medicine
• Medical Law and Ethics
• Health Promotion and Wellness
• Medical Psychology
• Pain Management
• Occupational Diseases
• Evidence Based Medicine
• Health Management
• Clinical Skills
• Nutrition

Dental Medicine

• Introduction to Dentistry
• Biomedical Sciences Oral Structure and Biology (embryology, microscopic and macroscopic structure and function, Craniofacial development and Genetic)
• General and Oral Pathology
• Pharmacology and Therapeutics for Dentistry - Dental Anaesthesia & Sedation
• Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
• Dental Skills
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
• Cariology and Minimum Intervention Dentistry
• Endodontics I
• Prosthodontics I
• Periodontology I
• Oral Surgery I
• Endodontics II
• Prosthodontics II
• Oral Surgery II
• Periodontology II
• Paediatric Dentistry
• Comprehensive Care Rotation I
• Orthodontics C
• Comprehensive Care Rotation II
• Urgent Dental Care and Pain Management in Dentistry
• Special Needs Dentistry
• Ethics and Leadership
• Comprehensive Care Rotation III
• Clinical Capstone Project
• Advanced Dentistry Rotation
• General Medicine and Dental Correlations
• Practicum in Community Health Settings
• Dental Practice Management
• Dental Treatment Planning and Patient Management
• Advanced Dental Materials and Technologies
• Dental Hygiene Practice
• Mastering Dental Consultation
• Dental photography
• Breathing and malocclusion
• Speech and malocclusion

Credits: 300

The objectives of the program are:

• To produce safe, competent and ethical practitioners of dental medicine equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviours (attitudes) appropriate for the independent practice of dentistry through evidence - and outcome-based teaching
• To develop a rounded professional who, in addition to being a competent clinician, will have the range of professional skills required to begin working as part of a dental team and be well prepared for independent practice
• To raise professionals with good management and leadership skills and high employment chances to be able to make a career in diverse health care settings and multicultural environments
• To raise dental professionals who deliver high quality patient care that puts patients’ needs first, taking account of current and future oral health needs

Upon completion of the program, students:

Knowledge

• Describes principles, concept and ideas of the basic biomedical, behavioural and materials sciences
• Explain the principles of an evidence-based approach to learning, clinical and professional practice and decision making, critically appraise approaches to denta research and integrate with patient care
• Explain the potential routes of transmission of infectious agents in dental practice, mechanisms for the prevention of infection, the scientific principles of decontamination and disinfection and their relevance to health and safety
• Describe the properties of relevant medicines and therapeutic agents and discuss their application to patient management
• Explain the principles of epidemiology, health promotion and disease prevention and critically evaluate their application to patient management
• Explain how to apply to clinical practice psychological and sociological concepts and theoretical frameworks of health, illness, behavioural change and disease
• Formulate a differential diagnosis or diagnoses and from there a definitive diagnosis and synthesise the full results of the patient’s assessment, make clinical judgments as appropriate taking account of the needs of different patient groups

Skills

• Obtain, record, and interpret a comprehensive and contemporaneous patient history
• Undertake and manage an appropriate systematic intra- and extra-oral clinical examination, relevant special investigations and diagnostic procedures, including radiography
• Prevent, diagnose and manage pain appropriately, effectively and safely, treat of acute oral conditions
• Manage and treat of periodontal disease
• Manage of the developing and developed dentition
• Extract erupted deciduous teeth under local anaesthetic and apply restoration and replacement of teeth
• Undertake an orthodontic assessment and limited orthodontic appliance emergency procedure
• Manage an appropriate treatment plan, synthesising patient assessment and diagnosis data and communicate effectively and sensitively at all times with and about patients, their representatives and the public

responsibility and autonomy

• Recognise and respect the patient’s perspective and expectations of dental care and the role of the dental team taking into account current equality and diversity legislation
• Recognise and demonstrate own professional responsibility in the development of self, develop and maintain professional knowledge and competence and demonstrate commitment to lifelong learning
• Recognise the significance of their own management and leadership role and the range of skills and knowledge required to do this effectively