Aim: 

After completion of the course, the student is able to take responsibility for the oral health situation of the population. The student implements dental health care services in accordance with the current knowledge, needs and expectations in the population as well as the existing rules, regulations and economy of the dental health care services at any given time.  

Content:

The course entails instruction of the following topics:

• The dental health care services (public and private) and their organization, function, rules, regulations and economy
• Disease prevention and oral health promotion
• Research methods
• Population surveys
• The measurement of oral diseases
• Subjective oral health
• Oral health related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors

After completion of the course, the student has the following learning outcomes:   

Knowledge:

The students explains:

• epidemiology of oral diseases at national and international level.
• the goals, organization, resources and function in the dental health care- (public and private) and in the health and social-services
• planning, implementation and evaluation of oral disease prevention- and oral health promotion-programs.
• patient communication
• the applicable health legislation
• social security and services
• quality assurance in dental health care (public and private)
• ethical norms

Skills:

The student:

• implements simple research methodology in evaluation of research literature and data analysis.
• implements simple research methodology in planning, implementation and evaluation of dental health care services (public and private).
• implements strategies in disease prevention and health promotion programs.
• communicates and interacts with patients, the population in general and various stakeholders in the dental health care- (public and private) and social sector.
• interacts with various and relevant administrative and political resources.

General competence:

The student:

• reflects critically upon own knowledge and skills and his/her need for renewed and continous learning.
• shows a professional and ethically proper attitude in all communication and interaction with patients and relevant collaborators in health, social and dental health sectors.    

Lectures and seminars

Seminars use problem based learning methods. The students solve cases while working together in smaller groups and with associated discussions. Cross-professional cooperative learning is a part of the course.