Unit information: The Dentist in Society 1 in 2016/17

Unit name	The Dentist in Society 1
Unit code	DENT20025
Credit points	0
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Dr. Waylen
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Bristol Dental School
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

The aim of this unit is to provide a grounding in different aspects of social science which are relevant to dentistry: sociology, public health, psychology, special needs dentistry and law and ethics. These topics will provide education about and discussion of health inequalities, the provision of health education, attitudes and behaviour with respect to individual health care practices, requirement for and provision of specialised or community based dental care and also legal and ethical issues concerned with the provision of health care services for the population as a whole and for those with special needs.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Having completed Parts I and II of this proposed unit, students will

• Have an understanding of:
• key aspects of the social and behavioural sciences relating to oral health and dental care
• The philosophical and scientific basis of public health
• The activities of public health practitioners
• The management of dental practice
• The ethical and legal obligations of registered general dental practitioners
• The implications of public health activities for clinical practice
• The organisation of the dental profession within the United Kingdom and European Union
• Have developed skills in communication so that they know how to communicate clearly, effectively and sensitively with patients, staff and other health professionals after accounting for individual and demographic characteristics.

Teaching Information

Lectures, seminars for discussion, role play seminars to teach communication skills; where appropriate, some lectures will be delivered as e-lectures.

Assessment Information

Formative assessment will be provided via required reading for specific lectures, questions based around the reading for self-completion and then the provision of model answers.

Summative assessment will take the form of:

Part I One 60 minute short answer question paper (25%) at the end of Year 2 A Social History report (25%) at the end of Year 2 An enquiry-based learning project (EBL) (25%) at the end of Year 2 A communications skills station in the Year 2 OSCE (25%) at the end of Year 2

Part II One two hour short answer paper (100%) at the end of Year 4.

In Years 1 and 2 assessment, the marks for the written paper, Social History report and EBL project can be aggregated towards a pass mark of 50% but the communication skills station in the OSCE must be passed in its own right.

Reading and References

Daly B, Watt R, Batchelor P, Treasure E (2002) Essential Dental Public Health. OUP. GDC publications: Guidance for Dental Professionals, Standards for Dental Professionals Kay EJ & Tinsley SR (2004) Communication and the Dental Team. Stephen Hancocks Current research papers from appropriate peer-reviewed journals (to be reviewed at the beginning of each academic year)