Aim

For the students to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills that will allow them to implement, for their patients, individualized preventive programs aimed toward oral diseases.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the 4th semester the students should be able to:

• Understand the physiologic equilibrium of the oral cavity and the relationships and interactions between bacteria, saliva, diet and hard and soft oral tissues.
• Evaluate an individual’s level of oral hygiene and his/her risk factors for development of oral diseases.
• Know the various methods available for the prevention of oral diseases.
• Plan and implement a comprehensive and individualized oral health preventive program, based on a patient’s particular needs.

Contents

Introduction to the philosophy of preventive dentistry. Secretions in the oral cavity. Organic and inorganic deposits in the oral cavity. Saliva-enamel physiochemical equilibrium. Diet and oral health. Etiology, pathogenesis and prevention of oral diseases. Evaluation of oral hygiene level. Oral diseases risk assessment. Means and methods for dental plaque control. The use of fluoride in dentistry. The dentist’s role in smoking cessation. Individualized preventive programs.

Educational Methods

• Seminars

Criteria for successful completion

• Attendance in the seminars (at least 80%).
• Final written exams.