Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Epidemology and Public Health
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish
Teaching staff
Head of subject: Adrián González Marrón (agonzalezm@uic.es)
Introduction
The dental profession is not only significant in terms of the provision of services at the individual level, but also the work of the dentist at the population level can have a major relevance. Dentistry as a science plays an important role within the broad and complex universe of public health because of the influence of oral health on health as a whole. For this reason, public dental health is a specialty recognized by different associations, such as the American Dental Association. Moreover, dentists are explicitly recognized within the "One Health" initiative, a widespread and multidisciplinary movement that brings together professionals of diverse fields in public health.
In this context, the dentist must be familiar with the main concepts of public health as well as the transversal methodologies that govern this discipline, such as biostatistics and epidemiology. While the former will be seen as an independent subject in the Master’s, in this subject we will analyze the basic principles of epidemiology.
Finally, the course ends with an approach to qualitative methodology, which has become very popular in many disciplines of Health Sciences, including dentistry.
Pre-course requirements
None
Objectives
- To understand the general aspects that govern public health and the specific ones of the dental profession within the framework of public health.
- To understand the basic principles of epidemiology, including the most important epidemiological designs, as well as measures of frequency, association and impact.
- To approach qualitative research and its applications in dentistry.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CP01 - Apply the scientific method, experimental design and advanced biostatistics to answer a question or test a hypothesis in a dental research project.
Learning outcomes of the subject
- - Research Management - CN02, CP01, CP03 - 1. Define the fundamental concepts related to epidemiology and the scientific process. 2. Communicate scientific knowledge derived from research results orally and in writing to the scientific community. 3. Properly fill out a model for a call for grants and a results report. 4. Submit a call for applications for a prize, scholarship or grant, knowing each of the parts of the process.
Syllabus
1. Introduction to public health
Concept of health. Illness-wellness continuum. Natural history of disease.
Concept of public health. Strategies for action in public health: protection and promotion of health and prevention of disease.
Levels of prevention: primordial, primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary prevention. The prevention paradox. The "dark side" of prevention.
Determinants of health. Multi-level model of the determinants of health.
Main health problems in the world.
Public health in the context of dentistry. Dental public health.
2. Introduction to epidemiology
Concept of epidemiology. The history of modern epidemiology: from John Snow to Doll & Hill.
Measures of frequency, association and impact: calculation and interpretation.
Types of epidemiological studies. Strengths and weaknesses.
3. Introduction to qualitative research
Concept of qualitative research. Qualitative research vs. quantitative research.
Data collection in qualitative methodology: conversation, observation and documentary methods.
Qualitative methodology in the context of dentistry.
Bibliography and resources
Books:
- Public Health
Daly, Blánaid; Batchelor, Paul; Treasure, Elizabeth; Watt, Richard. (2013). Essential dental public health. Oxford University Press.
- Epidemiology
Bonita, Ruth; Beaglehole, Robert; Kjellström, Tord & World Health Organization. (2006). Basic epidemiology, 2nd ed. World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/43541
Lash, Timothy L; VanderWeele, Tyler J; Haneuse, S; Rothman KJ. (2020). Modern Epidemiology, 4th ed. Wolter Kluwer.
- Journals
- Public Health
Journal of Public Health Dentistry. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17527325