Course overview
The academic program aims to provide an overview and development of comprehensive oral health examination, treatment planning, prevention and restorative care for adults.
This course will involve an interdisciplinary approach to management of the ageing dentition. In addition to a cariology and root caries update, students will learn to identify and understand the nature of the forms of non-carious loss of tooth structure including erosion, attrition and abrasion. The principles of examination, diagnosis and treatment planning for periodontal disease are also covered. The course will focus on how to clinically assess patients, identify their risk factors and plan short and long-term management.
Oral pathology, TMJ disorders and emergency management of oral conditions are reviewed and further developed. Additional topics covered include physiology of pain, oral and dental pain pathways, local anaesthesia, psychology, chronic pain and referral.
This course will help students acquire an appreciation of reasonable treatment goals, dental management, and ethical and legal issues in relation to medically-challenged, intellectually-disabled, psychiatrically-disabled and functionally-impaired aged patients, including patients requiring hospital management.
Course learning outcomes
- Review and critique the theoretical basis of dental diseases underlying the provision of simple, direct tooth restorative care to adults.
- Apply an understanding of interdisciplinary issues and an appreciation of the complex clinical disciplines that relate to adult restorative care by being able to explain contemporary views on clinical patient management.
- Critically evaluate the principles of managing the older adult, incorporating medical and pharmacological factors and the possible complications when restoring teeth.
- Prepare and present a series of case studies exploring the management of the older adult including communication, psychological and motivational factors.
- Clarify the professional responsibilities for care of the adult patient incorporating the roles of the various dental practitioners.