University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2015/16 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Health Sciences > Bristol Dental School > Diploma in Dental Hygiene (UG Dip) > Specification
Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
Programme code | 8MDYF012U |
---|---|
Programme type | Undergraduate Diploma |
Programme director(s) |
Sarah Bain
|
Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
School/department | Bristol Dental School |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Accrediting types: |
Found to be sufficient by the General Dental Council (GDC) for the purpose of eligibility for registration with that body (http://www.gdc-uk.org/) The General Dental Council quality assures and approves qualifications for registration, for the following registrant groups: Dentists; dental hygienists; dental therapists; dental nurses; clinical dental technicians; dental technicians; and orthodontic therapists. (http://www.gdc-uk.org/) |
Relevant QAA subject benchmark groups | Dentistry (2002) (benchmark statement) |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 2 years (full time) |
To develop individuals who on qualification are competent to undertake unsupervised clinical work as Dental Hygienists within their individual Scope of Practice.
Dental Hygienists are registered dental professionals who help patients maintain their oral health by preventing and treating periodontal disease and promoting good oral health practice. They carry out treatment direct to patients or under prescription from a dentist.
As a Dental Hygienist, they can undertake the following if they are trained, competent and indemnified:
• provide dental hygiene care to a wide range of patients
• obtain a detailed dental history from patients and evaluate their medical history
• carry out a clinical examination within their competence
• complete periodontal examination and charting and use indices to screen and monitor periodontal disease
• diagnose and treatment plan within their competence
• prescribe radiographs
• take, process and interpret various film views used in general dental practice
• plan the delivery of care for patients
• give appropriate patient advice
• provide preventive oral care to patients and liaise with dentists over the treatment of caries, periodontal disease and tooth wear
• undertake supragingival and subgingival scaling and root surface debridement using manual and powered instruments
• use appropriate anti-microbial therapy to manage plaque related diseases
• adjust restored surfaces in relation to periodontal treatment
• apply topical treatments and fissure sealants
• give patients advice on how to stop smoking
• take intra and extra-oral photographs
• give infiltration and inferior dental block analgesia
• place temporary dressings and re-cement crowns with temporary cement
• place rubber dam
• take impressions
• care of implants and treatment of peri-implant tissues
• identify anatomical features, recognize abnormalities and interpret common pathology
• carry out oral cancer screening
• if necessary, refer patients to other healthcare professionals
• keep full, accurate and contemporaneous patient records
• if working on prescription, vary the detail but not the direction of the prescription according to patient needs
Additional skills which dental hygienists might develop after training include:
• tooth whitening to the prescription of a dentist
• administering inhalation sedation
• removing sutures after the wound has been checked by a dentist
Dental hygienists do not:
• restore teeth
• carry out pulp treatments
• adjust unrestored surfaces
• extract teeth
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
---|---|
|
Small group teaching. Small group teaching allows students to acquire knowledge and skills. Furthermore, the opportunities for discussion and exchange of views promotes the development of appropriate attitudes Operative technique instruction. This learning and teaching method is primarily concerned with developing clinical skills but will also encourage knowledge outcomes Lectures. Students in Dental Hygiene attend lectures as a single group and also with dental undergraduates. The lectures provide an introduction to the knowledge and skills outcomes. Integration with the undergraduates promotes a team approach to the practice of dentistry. Lectures in ethics and behavioural science will also support the development of appropriate attitudes |
Methods of Assessment | |
Written, oral and practical examinations Supervision and continual assessment in clinical practice Written, oral and practical examinations. Written examinations assess knowledge-based outcomes; oral health promotion, management and transferable skills and the application of knowledge to individual patients and community groups. Oral examinations can assess all knowledge and attitude outcomes and oral health promotion, communication, management and transferable skills. Practical examinations are always supported by an element of oral examination. Whilst they focus on skills they can assess both knowledge and attitudinal outcomes |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
---|---|
|
Student led sessions. Student led sessions promote scientific enquiry and other knowledge-based outcomes; oral health promotion, communication and transferable skills, the application of knowledge and a willingness to participate in continuing professional development Independent study. Private study will promote an expanded knowledge base, be a valuable transferable skill and engender an attitude toward continuing professional development and self-evaluation |
Methods of Assessment | |
Written examinations Case presentations Practical examinations Clinical scenarios |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
---|---|
|
Clinical work in hospital and community settings. Clinical work fosters the development of all skills outcomes, but also reinforces knowledge by applying it to patient care. Other attitudinal outcomes are supported in clinical work by: working with other members of the dental team; exposure to a range of patient and professional groups with a range of needs and skills; working in a variety of hospital and community based settings; recognising the problems encountered in patient care and methods to cope with them and by recognising the need for continuing professional development and self-evaluation. The ethos of clinical teaching environments is also designed to promote appropriate attitudinal outcomes |
Methods of Assessment | |
Research project. The project allows students to study an area in depth promoting all knowledge based outcomes and the development of transferable skills and foster an interest in continuing professional development. Other skill and attitudinal outcomes will be supported, depending on the area of study. Supervision and continuous clinical assessment. Supervision and continual assessment in clinical practice allows assessment of achievement in knowledge, skills and attitudinal outcomes. Written, oral and practical examinations. Written examinations assess knowledge-based outcomes; oral health promotion, management and transferable skills and the application of knowledge to individual patients and community groups. Oral examinations can assess all knowledge and attitude outcomes and oral health promotion, communication, management and transferable skills. Practical examinations are always supported by an element of oral examination. Whilst they focus on skills they can assess both knowledge and attitudinal outcomes. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Students will have a sound knowledge of the basic concepts in general dentistry. They will be able to communicate accurately on clinical matters and to exercise personal responsibility for basic clinical decision making. Students will have passed the end of first year examination. |
---|---|
Level I/5 - Intermediate |
Students will have developed a thorough understanding of the field of Periodontology and will be able to apply principles to novel clinical situations. They will be able to evaluate the appropriateness of proposed solutions. They will have presented their findings related to their research project. They will exhibit a high degree of clinical skill. Students will be entered for the Final examination leading to the Diploma in Dental Hygiene. |
The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the undergraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
Workload Statement
Full time attendance is compulsory unless absence is formally approved.
Years 1 & 2 consist of a 30 week academic year which follows the standard University terms. Academic activities are timetabled throughout the 5-day week, with the exception of Wednesday afternoons. In Year 1 a student can expect an average of 21 hours of contact teaching per week. The Faculty anticipates that a student will spend a further 20 hours a week on preparation of coursework and self-directed learning (this may vary with the ability of the student). In the second year of the programme the contact time falls to about 16 hours per week on average, as greater emphasis is placed on individual coursework (projects) and self directed learning.
In the clinical-years (Yrs 3-5) the teaching year is extended and averages 42 weeks per year. The month of August is a vacation period, free of teaching, and the standard National holidays are honoured; the final year finishes in June with graduation in July. Clinical activities take place from Monday-Friday (between 08.00-18.00), and occasionally students are expected to stay late, or overnight, to observe out-of-hours activities. Year 3 students may request permission to be absent on Wednesday afternoons, On average in the clinical-years less than 10% of the year is lecture-based teaching, but a further 35% is staff-led teaching in clinical settings. The remainder of the time is set aside for students to develop their clinical skills, to do project work and to do preparative and reflective self-directed learning.
Assessment Statement
Please select the following links for statements about assessment. This is University of Bristol access only.
The training of Dental Hygienists (Dental Care Professionals – DCPs) is commissioned by Health Education England and funded via Service Level Agreements (SLA) with the Dental School. All costs for this training are met by the SLA.
The programme has been ratified by the University of Bristol since 2000, and is delivered by NHS staff, holding Honorary University contracts. DCP training is an essential element to the Dental School’s strategy to develop a collaborative practice approach to the dental team training. It is important that dental undergraduates are taught alongside Dental Hygienists, Dental Therapists and Dental Nurses. This approach, which embodies extensive integration of teaching between disciplines and teamwork training was key to the successful bid for BDS student expansion in August 2005. This expansion bid has incorporated DCP provision from the outset and significant investment funds have already been secured from the NHS.
The demand for this programme far outweighs the number of places the School can offer. On average we receive approximately 200 enquires each year and around 70 applications for 8 places.
The DCP School at Bristol is one of the largest providers of DCP Training in the UK, and has one of the highest pass rates at Final Examination in the country.
Sarah Bain
Director DCP Training
University Hospitals Bristol
University Bristol Dental Hospital and School
Chapter House
Bristol BS1 2LY
Email sarah.bain@uhbristol.nhs.uk
Tel 0117 342211
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Foundation Course | DENT10001 | 20 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Plaque Related Diseases I | DENT10009 | 10 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Operative Techniques I | DENT10005 | 10 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Behavioural Sciences | ORDS10011 | 10 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Clinical Placement I | DENT10007 | 20 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Oral Surgery Medicine and Pathology | DENT20014 | 10 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Clinical Placement II | DENT20010 | 20 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Applied Pharmacology Pain and Anxiety Control | DENT20017 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
120 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Periodontal Disease Year 2 | ORDS20016 | 10 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Skills and Clinical Practice Year 2 | ORDS20018 | 60 | Mandatory | TB-1,TB-2 |
Oral Health Science Year 2 | ORDS20017 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Audit/Research Project | ORDS20019 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Personal and Professional Development Year 2 | ORDS20020 | 10 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Diploma in Dental Hygiene (UG Dip) | 120 |
Unit Pass Mark for Undergraduate Programmes:
For details on the weightings for classifying undergraduate degrees, please see the Agreed Weightings, by Faculty, to be applied for the Purposes of Calculating the Final Programme Mark and Degree Classification in Undergraduate Programmes.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for programmes with a preliminary year of study, the Gateway programmes and International Foundation programmes.
All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.
Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.
The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).
An Ordinary degree can be awarded if a student has successfully completed at least 300 credits with a minimum of 60 credits at Level 6.
The pass mark for the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry is 50 out of 100. The classification of a degree in the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry is provided in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
University of Bristol,
Senate House,
Tyndall Avenue,
Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK
Tel: +44 (0)117 928 9000