Course Coordinator: Katrina Plastow
Phone: +61 8 8313 8068
Email: katrina.plastow@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 10, AHMS Building

Tutor: Sue Gardner
Phone: +61 8 8313 5873
Email: sue.gardner@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 10, AHMS Building

1	describe the healthy oral cavity and the normal appearance of the morphology of teeth, using basic dental terminology, by utilising your developing clinical reasoning skills to analyse a patient's clinical presentation and explain the range of normal variability in the appearance, development and relationships of oral tissues and teeth
2	discuss the nature and aetiology of common dental anomalies and diseases, and the approaches used to prevent the common dental diseases (eg caries and gingivitis) at both the individual patient and community level
3	discuss theories of behavioural science and lifespan development in the context of oral health, explain factors influencing communication and anxiety, and the principles of behaviour modification, motivational strategies and approaches used to facilitate positive oral health behaviours in patients within their developmental context
4	explore the role of nutrition for a variety of age groups, relate this to cultural factors and lifestyle choices, explain why modifications may need to be made and develop recommendations and alternatives for patients to optimise their oral and general health using your developing knowledge of current Australian dietary guidelines
5	pro-actively manage your own learning, including self-evaluation, organisation, accessing and evaluating information, seeking advice and assistance, and working collaboratively

Textbooks

There are no required texts for this course

Highly recommended – semester 1

See MyUni for details

General references – semester 1

See MyUni for details

Communications about the course will be via the Announcements section on MyUni and/or by email. Please read the Announcements section and your email regularly to keep up to date.

Additional course-related material, such as the detailed lecture and tutorial schedule, assessment schedules plus topics for oral presentation will be available through MyUni.

A variety of learning modes will be used in this course including:

• a number of dentally related situations and cases
• small group meetings related to case-based and discovery learning, including discussions and presentations
• resource sessions
• on-line resources
• practical exercises
• tutorials
• research and assignments

Contact Hours

60h/semester, 5-6 hours per week consisting of:

Topics Covered

•    Dental terminology
•    Dental morphology
•    Dental development and emergence
•    Supporting tissues
•    Dental occlusion and functions of the masticatory system
•    Dental diseases: introduction to caries and gingivitis
•    Preventive dentistry: caries and gingivitis (introduction)
•    Behavioural science in dentistry
•    Theories of learning
•    Principles of behaviour change
•    Management of dental fear and anxiety
•    Developmental psychology: development across the lifespan
•    Nutrition and oral health

The University of Adelaide has committed to a pedagogical approach that incorporates several aspects of scholarship. A key component of the Beacon of Enlightenment strategic pedagogical approach is that all students commencing in 2014 will experience a "Small-Group Discovery Experience" (or SGDE for short) in at least one course in every year of their degree program.

The Core Concepts upon which the SGDE pedagogical approach is based include goals that students will discover (or rediscover) learning as Intellectual Challenge, and develop a Scholarship of Discovery to inspire them toward learning and lifelong learning

To accomplish this learning journey, students will develop research skills, and learning and teaching delivery modes used will require students to engage actively with their discipline content. This active learning process will engender a commitment to knowledge for its own sake, and consequently learning to follow an investigation, in a disciplined fashion, wherever it may lead.

You will undertake SDGE to discover the various relationships between nutrition, health and oral health. Working with an experienced academic, you will undertake small group work as a collaborative project culminating in the group presenting and sharing their research with the larger class.

Assessment Task	Assessment Type	Due Date	Weighting	Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
Tests of understanding	Formative	Weeks 4, 7, 10	NGP	1, 2
Journal club – prevention	Formative/Summative	Weeks 8-11	15%	1, 2
Practical exercise – Tooth identification	Summative	Week 11	NGP	1
Patient cases and tutorial exercises	Formative/Summative	Semester 1 & 2	10%	1-5
Integrated Semester Exam – combined DHS & ClinPrac	Summative	Exam week	40%	1-2, 5
Written assignment – developmental psychology report	Summative	Week 8, semester 2	25%	3, 5
Nutrition presentations - discovery learning	Formative/Summative	Weeks 11-12, semester 2	10%	4-5

This is a year-long subject across two semesters, with foundation knowledge taught earlier in the course, then developed and applied in the second. 

All assessment tasks must be completed successfully: that is, this should be considered as a score of at least 55% (unless otherwise stated), in order to achieve competence in the overall course. Redemption opportunities may be provided, but are not guaranteed.

Feedback
You will receive feedback from a variety of sources – self-evaluation, peers and facilitators – during PBL and group discussions, research, tutorial exercises, assignments and examinations. Ongoing feedback on your performance is for your benefit and allows you to assess how you are progressing in this course. It is your responsibility to incorporate this feedback into your learning.

Tests of understanding
To assist you in achieving the course’s objectives and to offer you ongoing feedback opportunities, tests of understanding will be scheduled in semester 1. These tests will not count towards your grade but will assist you in the consolidation of the knowledge you will have gained in the course up until that point. They will also give you feedback as to your areas of strength and weakness, and will assist in the preparation for the end of semester examination.

Patient cases and Tutorial exercises – Semester 1 and 2
These sessions are designed to provide you with a range of exercises that allow you to explore the content material in a more applied approach. Some sessions will require preparation and pre-reading, whilst others will allow you to undertake workbook exercises with tutor support and direction. Your preparation for and participation in case-based learning and tutorial sessions contributes to your grade in this course.
You are required to complete tutorial exercises prior to each tutorial. These exercises, tooth drawings and revision quizzes enable you to assess your progress in this course as well as provide opportunities to receive feedback from facilitators.

Tooth identification
Your knowledge of dental morphology will be assessed in semester 1 – you will be given a number of natural teeth (including permanent and deciduous teeth) and be required to identify each of these correctly.

Journal club
Journal club has been designed to complement your studies related to the aetiology and prevention of caries and gingivitis. It also supports your learning in evidence-based dentistry (EBD1). For this assessment activity, you are required to undertake more general research on a number of preventive strategies.

Mid-year examination – combined DHS & Clinical Practice assessment
The mid-year examination will consist of a number of questions relating to both the D&HSc and Clin Prac courses. The aim is to assess whether you have a systematic approach to situations, and can demonstrate the application of knowledge and integration of information across courses. It is to your benefit to make sure that you are working consistently throughout the semester and have a good grasp of the course content and learning processes. There is no end of year examination for this course.

Developmental psychology report
This report will provide you with the opportunity to overview more challenging stages of the lifespan, and relate these to strategies for improving health and care for dental patients. For this report you are required to research and review the theories which impact on the development of learning and behaviour at various stages of the lifespan, and consider how these theories assist in understanding and managing the dental patient.

Nutrition & oral health presentations – Discovery learning
In a small group, you will research a cultural group in Australia (this may be a religious, migrant or refugee group), or a group with particular needs relating to their oral condition, or a group for whom nutritional requirements may need to be specifically considered as a result of their age or medical condition. You are required to describe the considerations of nutritional intake applicable to this group and the relationship with, or impact on, oral health in conference-style class presentations.

Information on submission process and requirements will be available through MyUni.

Students can access final results via Access Adelaide. It is important that all assessment components are completed successfully. If an assessment item is not completed successfully a review meeting with the course and/or year co-ordinator may be scheduled in order to discuss the possibility of remedial strategies. For students who obtain a Borderline grade in a component of Dental & Health Science, an opportunity for redemption may be provided at the end of the academic year.

Each year we ask students to complete an assessment of their learning and teaching experience. Teaching staff reflect on the SELT, the outcomes achieved and processes implemented to identify necessary changes for future years. These are important tools in the Dental School’s aim for excellence in teaching and learning.

The following changes have been made as a result of these processes:
•    Assessment tasks and schedule revised
•    patient cases – format and content revised
•    Mid-year exam integrated with Clinical Practice – format and content revised
•    Introduction of journal article reviews to support learning in prevention and evidence-based dentistry (EBD 1)
•    Additional on-line resources