Perspective in Dentistry

• Perspective in dentistry covers the scope and responsibilities of dentistry as a health profession, and its relationship with other professions.
• This course offers students an overview of the 6-year Doctor of Dental Medicine program.
• The goal of this course is to prepare dental students for clinical work and highlight how one can enjoy a career in dentistry.

What is Perspective?

• Perspective is a way of thinking about and understanding something.
• It is a condition in which a person knows what is important and doesn't worry about unimportant things.
• It is the ability to understand what things are truly important and what things are not.

Reasons for students choice of Dentistry

• Personal
• External

People involved in training a dentist include

• Dentistry teachers or clinical instructors
• Members of the allied professions, like health professionals, X-ray, and laboratory technicians.
• Private educational institutions
• Government agencies such as CHED (Commission on Higher Education) and PRC (Professional Regulation Commission).
• The Dentist Licensure Examination lasts 3 days for theoretical exams and 2 days for practicals.

Dentistry Defined

• As adopted by the 1997 ADA House of Delegates: It is the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the oral cavity.
• As a science, dentistry is knowledge obtained through systematic investigation or study of various theories, principles, and concepts.
• As an art, dentistry involves skilled craftsmanship, psychomotor skills, and technical skills in the practice of the profession.
• As a profession, dentistry is a calling requiring specialized knowledge and technical skills, after lengthy and intensive preparation.

Three-Fold Value of the Dental Profession

• Service to mankind includes preventive and remedial services.
• Three factors responsible for immediate complaints of patients: pain, discomfort, and deformity.
• Social security means an ideal means of livelihood and career opportunities.
• Prestige includes a title or degree: Doctor (Dr.).

Ideal Traits of a Dentist

• Dedication to service
• Honesty and sincerity
• Diligence and Thoroughness
• Resourcefulness
• Charity

Characteristics that a Dental Student Should Posses

• Energy
• Enthusiasm
• Patience
• Perseverance

Oral Needs of Humanity

• Conditions of the Oral Cavity/Mouth (Abnormal/Normal)
• Relations of the Oral Cavity to the general system.

Preventive Services

• Done to avoid the onset of disease, including taking vitamins and minerals to increase resistance to infection.
• Twice a year Dental Check-up
• Oral Prophylaxis or Cleaning
• Fluoridization
• Oral Health Education
• Oral Hygiene Regimen

Remedial/Corrective Curative Services

• Heart bypass surgery, using medicines when one is sick, kidney transplant. In Dentistry:
• Restorations
• RCT (Root Canal Therapy Treatment)
• Oral Surgery
• Prostheses

Employment and Career Opportunities of a Dentist

• Private Practice: Individual/Solo, Partnership and Group practice, Multi-located practice, or Part-time practice are some options.
• Public Health Dentists offer novice practitioners opportunities in national or local government.
• Hospital Dentists practice in private hospitals.
• Military Dentists use their skills in the AFP dental corps unit.
• Industry/Company Dentists are employed full-time or on retainer by private companies or industries.
• School Dentists seek employment in private schools, colleges, or universities.
• Dental Educators teach, requiring education units and administrative abilities.
• Dental Assistants work for private dentists, gaining experience before private practice or working as dentists in other countries.
• Dental Researchers conduct research in any dental field or specialization, usually at a university locally or abroad.
• Graduate Study involves dentists pursuing 3 to 4 years of additional study resulting in a Master of Science or Doctoral degree in Dentistry.
• Heritage Practice is when a dental practice is retained in a family, with the new practitioner taking over the inherited patient load.
• Dental or Medical Representatives seek employment in major drug companies and dental traders.
• Dental Consultants employed by a dental company, laboratory, and/or trader for their expertise.

Foreign Employment

• Dentists
• Dental Assistants (require a license abroad)
• Dental Hygienists (work on certain procedures)
• Dental Nurse
• Dental Technician (for dentures)

The Scope of Dental Subjects

• Pre-clinical subjects give basic knowledge of skills practiced on ivorine teeth and model casts in laboratory classes.
• Clinical Dentistry trains students in handling dental patients.
• Hospital Dentistry gives an overview of hospital procedures and manages medically compromised patients.

Basic Medical Subjects

• General Anatomy 1 studies parts of the human body by regions, involving tissues like bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and internal organs, using models, focusing on regions from the shoulders to the feet.
• General Anatomy 2 (Head and Neck) gives a thorough study of the head and neck including anatomical details on the skull.
• Biochemistry studies the biochemistry of cells and organelles and their relation to general body metabolism.
• General Physiology with Family Planning studies the functions of human body organs, tissues, and cells, with practical applications to dentistry.

Pathology and Microbes

• General Pathology studies general and systemic pathology to provide proficiency in interpreting macroscopic changes in various organs.
• Pharmacology studies the mechanism of drug action on living tissue used in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases.
• Microbiology studies pathogenic microorganisms to provide knowledge in controling, preventing, diagnosing, managing, and treating infectious diseases with oral significance.
• Principles of Medicine provides a logical framework for learning and a working knowledge of internal medicine needed for diagnosing dental patients with medical illnesses

Basic Dental Courses

• Oral Anatomy covers the morphology of deciduous and permanent dentition with supporting structures.
• Oral Histology and Embryology studies microscopic structures of oral/dental tissues and their embryonic development.
• Dental Materials studies the physical and chemical properties of metallic and non-metallic materials used in Dentistry.
• Cariology is the diagnosis, etiology, microbiology, classification, prevention, and management of dental caries in individuals and populations.
• Infection Control uses aseptic protocols that prevent the spread of contamination and infectious substances.
• Oral Physiology and Occlusion is the study of oro-facial mechanisms & dynamic interrelationships as they influence functional occlusion, mastication deglutition and speech.
• Stomatognathic System involves structures for speech, tasting, chewing, and swallowing of food and the normal function of the mouth
• Oral Pathology deals with diseases and abnormalities afflicting oral and dental tissues and diseases that present oral lesions
• Oral Pathology 2 (Oncology) deals with the pathology of neoplasm and other diseases of the oral cavity.
• Operative Dentistry 1 deals with the principles of cavity preparation and the manipulation of filling materials necessary for the restoration of carious teeth.
• Operative Dentistry 2 involves Concepts and principles in restoring lost tooth structure to their proper form.
• Prosthodontics 1 (Fixed Partial Denture) are Concepts and principles in the restoration of natural teeth as well as rehabilitation using fixed partial denture prostheses.
• Prosthodontics 2 (Removable Partial Denture) involves concepts and principles of restoring missing teeth associated with removable prostheses.
• Prosthodontics 3 (Removable Complete Denture) deals with the rehabilitation of completely edentulous patients using appropriate biocompatible materials.
• Roentgenology study of apparatus involved in producing radiographs including application, and maintenance.
• Anesthesiology studies dental anesthesia techniques.
• Orthodontics 1 deals with the fundamentals of growth and development of craniofacial structures.
• Endodontics studies the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of the dental pulp and periradicular tissues.
• Oral Diagnosis and Treatment Planning is the principles and procedures in making a diagnosis and treatment planning.
• Orthodontics 2 is study of the prevention, interception, treatment of malocclusion.
• Oral Surgery 1 studies the general principles of surgery and its application in dentistry.
• Oral Surgery 2 deals with surgical management of complicated extractions, reduction and fixation of traumatic injuries of the face and jaws.
• Pediatric Dentistry (with Child Psychology) involves the principles and techniques in managing children's dental problems.
• Basic Dental Implantology studies fundamental knowledge on the biological and scientific basis for implant treatment.
• Forensic Dentistry deals with the study of dental/oral parts of the body in the confirmation of identity of victims.

More concepts

• Current Trends in Dentistry studies the latest developments in the field, including dental materials and genetics.
• Interdisciplinary Approach in Patient Management studies the interaction among different disciplines of dentistry within an integrated service-learning environment.
• Interprofessional Approach in Patient Management aims at collaborative practice among healthcare professionals.
• Management of Patients with Special Needs studies basic protocols in managing patients with special needs ( e.g. physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, etc).
• Dental Public Health 1 studies the concepts and principles of public health dentistry.
• Dental Public Health 2 (School-Based) Concepts, principles, community dentistry.
• Dental Public Health 3 (Field Work) is principle and methods designed community and methods designed in the practice of community dentistry in an adopted community.
• Nutrition in Dentistry Physical is chemical and biological processes that develop and renew tissues of the body by absorption and assimilation of food materials.
• UG Research 1 (Methods of Research) Principles and methods in research and its application to dentistry, focused on developing a research protocol.
• Practice Management with Entrepreneurship - The practice of dentistry in relation to social, economic, community.
• Andragogy (Teaching and Learning) Study of concepts and principles of learning adult dental practice.
• Hospital Dentistry 1 is internship for senior students in hospital or affiliated hospital designed to orient the students with the different Departments and Divisions.
• Clinical Dentistry 1 include 2 Clinical application of the basic competencies acquired in Restorative Dentistry, Prosthodontics, Roentgenology, Oral Surgery, Endodontics, Oral Diagnosis, and Pediatric Dentistry.