Unit information: Integrated Clinical Practice in 2013/14

Unit name	Integrated Clinical Practice
Unit code	DENT20008
Credit points	40
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Duncan
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

This unit provides the student with a valuable learning experience which develops and enhances their hospital based training. It provides the student with a more varied patient exposure including the treatment and management of the medically compromised individual. It also aims to develop their skill in team working.

The aims of this unit are:-

• To allow the student to gain clinical experiences from a variety of patient groups based in an outreach settings.

• To enable the students with the opportunity to demonstrate competency in the range of duties permitted by the General Dental Council to be undertaken by Dental Therapists.

• To enable students to broaden their clinical experience in dealing with a variety of patients from different social and ethnic backgrounds who present with a range of medical histories and individual needs.

• To provide comprehensive dental care for patients who are medically compromised and those patients with physical or learning disabilities, mental health problems and those who require domiciliary care

Currently the students attend clinical placements at a dental health centres in Easton, Bristol along with the dental undergraduates. When South Bristol Community Hospital opens in 2012 there will be integrated teaching of both dental undergraduates and Dental Care Professionals.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit the student will:

• Be competent at communicating with patients, their families and carers, other members of the dental team and other health care professionals and organisations.

• Be competent at interpreting complex treatment plans in restorative dentistry, and be skilled in providing comprehensive preventive and restorative oral care

• Have knowledge of the principles of treatment planning for adults and children and the reasons for referral to secondary care.

• Be competent at managing fear and anxiety with behavioural techniques and empathise with patients in stressful situations.

• Have an understanding of the pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of managing the anxious patient.

• Be competent at managing patients with special additional care need and have an understanding of the limitations of the therapist in this role. This includes the provision of domiciliary dental care.

Teaching Information

• Lectures
• Seminar
• Independent study

Assessment Information

Formative

Written assessment – Open book essay (2000 word count).

Summative

Two prepared clinical case presentations

Paediatric (Child) case presentation (40% of total)

Presentation of treatment carried out for a child by the therapy student under the written prescription of a dentist. The treatment plan need not be complete, however if this is the case then the student should be aware of the need for further care. The student presents the treatment carried out to date and the rationale behind this course of treatment. The student is expected to answer questions relevant to the presented case. The case presentation is marked out of a possible 100 marks.

Adult case presentation (40% of total)

Presentation of treatment carried out for an adult by the therapy student under the written prescription of a dentist. The treatment plan need not be complete, however if this is the case then the student should be aware of the need for further care. The patient is examined by the team of examiners and the student is expected to answer questions relevant to the case presented. The case presentation is marked out of a possible 100 marks.

Clinical viva voce examination (20% of total)

The clinical viva voce examination is a 15-minute examination which uses ‘unseen’ clinical photographs around which relevant questions will be asked. Any aspect of the syllabus can be examined in the viva voce examination. Questioning need not remain focused on a clinical photograph. The viva voce is marked out of a possible 100 marks.

Reading and References

Dentistry Dental Practice and the Community Burt, Eklund ISBN: 09045 88602

Essential Dental Public health Dlanaid Daly, Richard Watt, Paul Batchelor, Elizabeth Treasure ISBN: 01926 29743