| CODE | ORC1008 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Dental Specialties for Dental Assistants 8 - Special Care Dentistry | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Child Dental Health and Orthodontics | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit shall introduce the students to Special Care Dentistry which seeks to secure the oral health of and enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities. The link between patients’ special needs and Dental Care will be discussed. The role and function of the Dental Assistant in the interprofessional approach required to deliver effective care in a holistic way shall be described. Study-unit Aims: Dental Specialties for Dental Assistants 8 - Special Care Dentistry aims to provide the student with: - An understanding of the field of Special Care Dentistry; - An understanding of the nature of various disabilities, and their implications in the delivery of oral health care; - Knowledge, information and practical guidelines for effective assisting within Special Care Dentistry. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Express an understanding of the definitions and prevalence of disability; - Discuss how social factors may influence dental disease and delivery of oral health care; - Explain the impact of the following conditions on the provision of oral health care: Intellectual disabilities; Physical disabilities; Psychological/Emotional disabilities; Sensory disabilities; Medical disabilities. - Identify the role of the dental assistant in: scheduling the timing of treatment sessions; organizing patient transport; arranging access to treatment facilities; moving and handling patients; liaising with other health care professionals. - Discuss the different settings in which special care dentistry may be provided and how clinical techniques are modified when providing care in a non-clinical setting; - Recognise the methods of pain and anxiety control for special care patients; - Explain the importance of effective communication with special care patients and their carers and family; - Discuss the role of the dental assistant in encouraging good oral health for individual patients requiring special care dentistry. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Organise the necessary alternative arrangements and interventions necessary to allow dental care to reach special care patients; - Employ the most appropriate way of communicating with, handling and managing the care of a patient with special health care needs; - Perform dental assistance to the dental operator treating a patient with special health care needs in all the possible settings including general dental service, community dental service, hospitals, domiciliary and mobile dental units; - Assist the dental operator treating a patient with special health care needs under local anaesthesia, conscious sedation or general anaesthesia; - Demonstrate effective communication skills with the carers and family of the special health care needs patient; - Conduct oral hygiene instructions and dietary advice tailored to the needs and abilities of the patient in need of special care dentistry. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Title: Advanced Dental Nursing Paperback Author: Robert Ireland Edition: 2nd ISBN-10: 1405192674 ISBN-13: 978-1405192675 |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Attendance to scheduled sessions, inclusive of lectures/tutorials, practical, laboratory and clinical components is compulsory. Students who do not attend at least 90% of the scheduled sessions will not be allowed to sit for any of the assessment components mentioned below. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study & Placement | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Silvana Mifsud |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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