Dental Public Health and Community Dentistry (493 PDS)

Course Description: The first part of this course is designed to provide fifth dental student an awareness to the principles and activities of Dental Public Health, in addition to knowledge on the application of sciences of epidemiology and biostatistics in dental public health. The second part of the course will explore the concepts of the dental public health in the light of the oral health problems in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ( 3 credit hour)

Course Objectives:

- To develop into the students an awareness and sensitivity to the public health problems and the acitivities in public health

- To familiarize the students with the basic concepts , principles and methods of epidimiology and biostatistics

- To provide the students with knowledge on the application of the sciences of epidimiology and biostatistics in dental public health

- To provide the students with knowledge of the scentific method and the research process

- To develop into the students an ability to read critically the dental literature and to distinguish quality of journals and researches

Course Project:

- The class divided into groups of 4-6 students each (according to class size)

- Each group is assigned a published article for critical evaluation given two weeks before their oral presentations

- The critical evaluation should cover all essential steps presented in the class

- Each group is required to submit a written report of the assigned critique

- All team members should participate in preparing the critique

Required Readings:

Dentistry, Dental Practice and the Community, 5th edition by Burt and Eklund, Saunders, 1999