| CODE | DNS4048 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Gerodontology 1 | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 09 - Years 4, 5 in Non-Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Oral Rehabilitation and Community Care | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit introduces dental students to the management of elderly patients. It raises awareness of the challenges and barriers that a professional in the dental field will have to overcome when treating elderly patients. The student will be prepared in terms of knowledge, attitudes, ethics and skills, to provide appropriate oral health care for older adults. Study-unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to teach the student the complexity of ageing, patient management and the importance of dentistry in total patient care. The student is trained to work as part of a patient management team in the dental clinic as well as in a variety of settings such as senior day centres and residential homes for the elderly. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be: - Able to understand the principal demographical characteristics and trends in the aged population. - Able to discuss physiological and pathological age-related changes. - Able to discuss common medical conditions in the elderly population. - Able to understand the impact of the socio-economic status of the elderly with relevance to oral care. - Able to understand the principles of pharmaco-dynamics and pharmaco-kinetics in the elderly patients. - Able to discuss drug interactions and their relevance to polypharmacy. - Able to discuss side effects of drugs and their impact on oral health. - Be familiar with theories of ageing. - Be familiar with the organisation of general and oral health care for the elderly in the community and in the hospitals. - Be familiar with the organisation of domiciliary care. - Be familiar with the principles of management of geriatric medical conditions. - Able to evaluate the elderly person holistically and be able to develop a comprehensive treatment plan. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify the chief complaint and the needs and demands of the older patients. - Obtain a thorough general, medical, dental and social history. - Perform intra- and extra-oral examination. - Communicate effectively and share information with all members of the health care team. - Recognise signs of elder abuse and neglect. - Recognise the presence of the major systemic diseases in old age and how they affect the delivery of oral care. - Identify the age-related changes in the oral structures. - Provide oral education and oral hygiene instructions to the older patients. - Provide basic treatment in patients' homes and long-term care settings. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Textbook of Geriatric Dentistry [Hardcover] Poul Holm-Pedersen (Author), Harald Loe (Author) Publisher: Wiley; 2nd edition (january 30, 1997) ISBN-10: 8716105338; ISBN -13: 978-8716105332. - Geriatric Dentistry. Holm, Pedersen, Harald, Lowe. ISBN: 87-16-09660-6. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study & Placement | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Alexander Schembri |
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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 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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