Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Social Dentistry
Other languages of instruction: English
Teaching staff
Introduction
In recent years, public health research has repeatedly confirmed what has been established for decades: low individual/family income is directly associated with oral diseases: oral cancer, higher prevalence of dental caries and, in general, with any experience of caries, tooth loss, traumatic dental injuries, etc. Systematic reviews also qualitatively confirm that low income is associated with periodontal diseases and with high values of indicators of poor oral health-related quality of life, such as the Oral Health Related Quality of Life - OHQoL (Reference 1). This is further evidence of the existence of a social gradient of disease, and a confirmation that oral pathologies are not an exception. There has certainly been an important improvement in recent decades, but inequalities in oral health in Spain are manifest. Epidemiological indicators point to important differences between Autonomous Communities (AC) and also between social groups (Reference 2).
The subject of Social Dentistry is part of the ideology of the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (Reference 3), with the aim of improving its educational objectives which, in the case of Health Sciences studies, this care orientation takes on special importance, where the spirit of service to the patient drives us to ensure the prevention, promotion and protection of their health. We also know that the fragile, vulnerable patient, the one with the greatest socioeconomic deprivation, is the one with the greatest concentration of pathology and, consequently, needs our attention to a greater extent; an oral and dental care that is not in the portfolio of public health services and to which this patient cannot have access. The subject of Social Dentistry brings together all the initiatives and actions that the Faculty of Dentistry of UIC Barcelona is developing for vulnerable patients, both those that are already underway and the projects that we will deploy in the future.
References
1. Singh A, Peres MA, Watt RG. The Relationship between Income and Oral Health: A Critical Review. J Dent Res. 2019;98(8):853-860. doi: 10.1177/0022034519849557.
2. Health Equity Study and Analysis. Various authors.
3. Ideario UIC.
Pre-course requirements
a) Knowledge of Gerodontology (first semester)
b) Knowledge of Pediatric Dentistry (first semester)
Objectives
a) To develop the ability to reflect and argue about ethical issues based on the analysis of the contemporary situation.
b) To provide practical tools for understanding the importance of acquiring the fundamental principles and virtues of an ethics of personal and professional care.
c) To discover the meaning and value of the fundamental principle of the dignity of the human person, particularly in areas related to illness or any other situation of vulnerability and limitation, both physical and psychological.
d) To show the importance of interpersonal communication in the context of the therapeutic relationship.
e) To analyze and discuss the important implications of social and cultural diversity for the understanding of health.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 - Being aware of the essential elements of the dental profession, including the ethical principles and legal responsibilities it involves.
- 02 - Understanding how important these principles are in order to benefit patients, society and the profession, with particular attention being paid to professional secrecy.
- 03 - Knowing how to identify the concerns and expectations of patients, as well as how to communicate effectively and clearly, both orally and in writing, with patients, family members, the media and other professionals.
Learning outcomes of the subject
- 5.01 - Integrate, organize and implement all the knowledge acquired during the degree to provide adequate and comprehensive dental care to the patient.
- 5.02 - Conduct a multidisciplinary, sequential and integrated dental treatment of the patient of any age or condition.
- 5.03 - Make the right treatment according to the individual needs of each patient and have to be objective and valid, suitable with current therapy, quality and congruent.
Syllabus
a) Development of clinical-humanistic skills in the treatment of the elderly and patients in need of care.
b) Development of clinical-humanistic skills in the treatment of immigrants and refugees.
c) Development of clinical-humanistic skills in the treatment of patients with special needs.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
a) Interventions may only be educational and of visual diagnosis, in which only a scanning light and a dental chair are required. No intervention of any kind is foreseen.
b) The sessions will be developed according to a calendar that makes the activities compatible with the availability of the venues, during 15 weeks, from January to April, preferably in the mornings, dedicating one day of the week to a different vulnerable group. As a guideline (and depending on the preferences of each institution), Tuesday and Thursday mornings would be dedicated, between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm.
c) Theoretical sessions will be 5, of 2 hours each (10 hours in total). In them, the different interventions and skills to be developed will be explained, before the practical intervention is carried out, as well as the evaluation of results after the intervention.
d) The practical sessions or interventions will be 5, of 4 hours each (2 hours of transportation/preparation and 2 hours of intervention) and will take place on days agreed with the entities at the different sites of the institutions participating in the program (Invulnerables-Geriatric).
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Attendance and participation in theoretical sessions (30%), as well as practical interventions (70%) will be evaluated.
Bibliography and resources
a) Fixed armchairs at the institutions' headquarters
b) Diagnostic and hygienic instruments