Perspective in Dentistry

Perspective in Dentistry

• Perspective is a way of thinking about and understanding something.
• Perspective is a condition in which one knows which things are important and does not worry about unimportant things.
• Perspective is the ability to understand which things are truly important and which things are not.
• Perspective in dentistry is a course intended to acquaint students with the scope and responsibilities of dentistry as a health profession, and its relation with other professions.
• The Doctor of Dental Medicine program is a 6-year program.

Goals and Objectives

• The goal is to prepare dental students for clinical work.
• The objectives are to highlight why and how one can enjoy a career in dentistry.
• Personal and external are the reasons for students to choose dentistry.

People Involved in Training a Dentist

• Dentistry teachers or clinical instructors
• Health professionals, X-ray, and Laboratory Technicians, are members of allied professions
• Private educational institutions are involved
• Government Agencies - CHED, PRC: Dentist Licensure Examination
• Theoretical - 3 days
• Practical - 2 days

Dentistry Defined

• As adopted by the 1997 ADA House of Delegates, dentistry is the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the oral cavity.
• As a science, it is the knowledge obtained through systemized investigation, study, or inquiry concerning the various theories, principles, and concepts of dentistry.
• As an art, it involves skilled craftsmanship, psychomotor skills, or technical skills in the practice of the profession.
• As a profession, it is a calling or vocation requiring specialized knowledge and technical skills following lengthy and intensive preparation.
• There are three factors responsible for immediate complaints of patients: pain, discomfort, and deformity.
• The threefold value of the dental profession is service to mankind and Social Security.
• Examples include preventive and remedial/corrective/curative services, and ideal means of career opportunities.
• Prestige is the title/degree or role patients have: Doctor (Dr.)

Ideal Traits of a Dentist

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

Characteristics that a Dental Student should Possess

• Energy
• Enthusiasm
• Patience
• Perseverance

Oral Needs of Humanity

• Conditions of the Oral Cavity or Mouth (Abnormal/Normal)
• Relations of the Oral Cavity to the general system
• Preventive Services: Done to avoid the onset of disease, including dental check-ups twice a year, oral prophylaxis/cleaning, fluoridization, oral health education, and oral hygiene regimen.
• Remedial/Corrective/Curative Services: Include heart bypass surgery, using medicines, kidney transplant, and things like restorations, RCT (Root Canal Therapy Treatment), oral surgery, and prostheses in dentistry.

Employment and Career Opportunities

• Private Practice:
• A dentist practices as one practitioner in Individual/Solo Practice
• Two/three or more dentists join in a cost-sharing arrangement to provide improved service at a minimized cost in Partnership and Group Practice
• A dentist may apportion time to serve other locations when in need of more clientele in Multi-located Practice; can be expensive
• Part-time Practice is when the practice is limited to only a few hours
• Public health, hospital, military, industry/company, and school dentists
• Dental Educator: Requires education units in teaching and administrative skills and capabilities
• Dental Assistant: Can serve as a buffer period of re-adjustment for novice dentists to acquire experiences, evaluate private practice opportunities, and for those who seek employment abroad but are not licensed.
• Dental researchers choose to do research in any dental field, usually inside a university.
• Graduate study is for dentists who want limited practice. Requires a 3-4 year additional graduate study in a specific field.
• Heritage practice is retained in a family or class of practitioners with a patient load inherited by the beginner member.
• Dental or medical representatives seek employment in major drug companies and dental traders.
• Dental consultants are employed by a dental company, laboratory, and/or trader for their expertise.
• Foreign employment includes dentists, dental assistants (require license), dental hygienists, dental nurses, and dental technicians.

Scope of Dental Subjects

• Pre-clinical subjects give students basic knowledge they can practice in laboratory classes using ivorine teeth and model casts.
• Clinical Dentistry will train the dentistry student in the actual handling of dental patients.
• Hospital Dentistry will give an overview of the hospital protocol and the management of medically compromised patients.

Basic Medical Subject

• General Anatomy 1: The study of different parts of the human body by regions that involves tissues, such as bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and internal organs via human models; focuses on regions from the shoulders to the feet.
• General Anatomy 2 - Head and Neck: Thorough study of the head and neck, including the skull, face, oral cavity, and maxillofacial structures.
• Biochemistry: The study of the biochemistry of cells and organelles and their relation to general body metabolism; covers the metabolism of foodstuff and chemical processes by which the human body derives and utilizes energy.
• General Physiology with Family Planning: Study of the functions of human body organs, tissues, and cells with practical applications to dentistry and integration of family planning topics.
• General Pathology: The study of general and systemic pathology to provide proficiency in interpreting macroscopic (gross) and microscopic (histologic) changes in various organs. Focuses on diseases/abnormalities of humans.
• Pharmacology is the study of the mechanism of drug action on living tissue used in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases.
• Microbiology: The study of the biology of pathogenic microorganisms to provide a knowledge base for the control, prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment of infectious diseases with oral significance; emphasis on oral microflora.
• Principles of Medicine: The study is designed to provide 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: Morphology of deciduous and permanent dentition, their alignment, and relationships with supporting structures.
• Oral Histology and Embryology: The study of microscopic structures of oral/dental tissues and their embryonic development.
• Dental Materials: The study of the physical and chemical properties of metallic and non-metallic materials used in dentistry. Includes the manipulation and uses of different materials and their variables.
• Cariology: Deals with diagnosis, etiology, microbiology, classification, prevention, and management of dental caries.
• Infection Control: Aseptic protocols that prevent the spread of contamination and infectious substances from patients to patients and patients to dental staff, including proper sterilization of instruments, and handling and disposal of infectious wastes.
• Oral Physiology and Occlusion: The study of the oro-facial mechanisms and its dynamic interrelationships among dental, neuromuscular, and TMJ, influencing the establishment of functional occlusion.
• Stomatognathic System: Structures involved in speech, tasting, receiving, chewing, and swallowing food as well as normal functions of the mouth. Occlusion, or the meeting of two jaws.
• Oral Pathology: Deals with diseases and abnormalities as well as several systemic diseases that present oral lesions as part of their pathology.
• Oral Pathology 2 - Oncology: Deals with the pathology of neoplasm and other diseases of the oral cavity and adjacent structures with emphasis on laboratory and diagnostic procedure for cancers of the mouth.

Pre-Clinical Courses

• Operative Dentistry 1: Deals with the principles of cavity preparation and the manipulation of filling materials for the restoration of carious teeth.
• Operative Dentistry 2: Concepts and principles for proper form, function, and aesthetics using typodont and live patient case management to restore lost tooth structure.
• Prosthodontics 1 (Fixed Partial Denture): Concepts and principles to restore natural teeth and rehabilitate/maintain partially dentate individuals using fixed partial denture prostheses.
• Prosthodontics 2 (Removable Partial Denture): Concepts/principles utilized to restore missing teeth and associated structures of partially endentulous individuals with removable prostheses.
• Prosthodontics 3 (Removable Complete Denture): Rehabilitation of completely edentulous patients that is based on biomechanics and aesthetics by using biocompatible materials.
• Roentgenology: The study of different radiographic apparatus, operations, application, and maintenance. Includes processing, mounting, reading, and interpretation of radiographs.
• Anesthesiology: The study of the principles and techniques of regional anesthesia and the pharmacology of different local anesthetics. Includes methods on general anesthesiology.
• Orthodontics 1: Deals with the fundamentals of both normal and abnormal growth and development of craniofacial structures and their relation to the stomatognathic system.
• Endodontics: The study of the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of the dental pulp and periradicular tissues.
• Oral Diagnosis and Treatment Planning: The study of the principles and procedures in making a diagnosis and treatment planning.

Clinical Subjects

• Orthodontics 2: The study of the prevention, interception, and treatment of malocclusion.
• Oral Surgery 1: The study of the general principles of surgery and its application in dentistry.
• Oral Surgery 2: Deals with the surgical management of complicated extractions, trauma to the face and jaws, and other conditions of the oral cavity.
• Periodontics 1: The study of normal periodontium, etiology, and pathogenesis.
• Periodontology: A study of normal and abnormal periodontium with the etiology, pathology, and management of periodontal diseases.
• Periodontics 2: Principles and concepts in the prevention, differential diagnosis, and management ofperiodontal diseases.
• Pediatric Dentistry (with Child Psychology): The study of the principles and techniques in the management of the child with dental problems. Includes interceptive orthodontics.
• Basic Dental Implantology: The study of fundamental knowledge on the biological and scientific basis for implant treatment.

Other Topics

• Forensic Dentistry: Study of dental/oral parts of the body in the confirmation of identity of victims.
• Current Trends in Dentistry: Includes the latest developments and techniques related to clinical dentistry, infection control, genetics, and medically compromised patients.
• Interdisciplinary Approach in Patient Management: Interaction among different disciplines of dentistry within an integrated environment.
• Interprofessional Approach in Patient Management: Collaborative practice among healthcare professionals for the provision of comprehensive and quality health services.
• Management of Patients with Special Needs: Basic protocols for managing patients with the needs with physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional impairments.

Dental Public Health and Other Related Courses

• Biostatistics and Epidemiology: Application of statistical techniques to scientific research in dentistry and the scientific study of oral diseases, their trends that lead to life-saving measures, and when/where these diseases occur.
• Dental Public Health 1: Principles of public health dentistry.
• Dental Public Health 2 (School-Based): Dentistry methods, health service administration, health education, and primary health care.
• Dental Public Health 3 (Field Work): Developed principles and methods in the practice of community dentistry.
• Nutrition in Dentistry: Physical, chemical, and biological processes that develop and renew tissues of the body, as well as the importance of nutrition to dental health.
• Dental Informatics: Principles that programs computer applications in practice.
• UG Research 1 (Methods of Research): Focused on the method and principles in search and its application to dentistry to develop a research protocol. Includes the thesis.
• UG Research 2 (Research Presentation): Basic principles for presentation and discussion in a scientific forum includes an undergraduate dental research forum, competition, and Dentsply Philippines.
• Practice Management with Entrepreneurship: The practice of dentistry in relation to social, economic, and cultural conditions of the community.
• Jurisprudence and Ethics: The relation of law and ethics to dental practice.
• Andragogy (Teaching and Learning): The study of principles of learning and characteristics of adult learners in adult education.

Clinical Dentistry

• Clinical Dentistry 1 & 2: Clinical application of the basic competencies acquired in Restorative Dentistry, Prosthodontics, Roentgenology, Oral Surgery, Endodontics, Oral Diagnosis, and Pediatric Dentistry.
• Clinical Dentistry 3: Application of principles and methods of providing dental care in various clinical areas.
• Clinical Dentistry 4: Applications of the competencies acquired in Clinical Dentistry 3; clinical proficiency examination in restorative dentistry/prosthodontics is a prerequisite for graduation.
• Hospital Dentistry 1 & 2: Dental internship for senior students designed to orient students with hospital decorum, scope, overall functions, and the referral system.