COURSE DESCRIPTION

Introduces the student to community health problems, public health, and related institutions. Lecture 2 hours per week.

GENERAL COURSE PURPOSE

To introduce the student to current concepts of public health and their relationship to the delivery of dental care. The dental hygiene student is familiarized with basic public health organization and planning, biostatistics and epidemiology, personnel and service utilization, and service payment mechanisms.

ENTRY LEVEL COMPETENCIES

Completion of three semesters of the dental hygiene program.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the course, through reading assignments, lecture, classroom discussion and group participation, the student will be able to:

1. describe the concepts and issues of public health and their relation to health care
2. apply basic principles of biostatistics and epidemiology in dental public health problems
3. demonstrate the ability to evaluate scientific literature
4. discuss water fluoridation and self-applied fluorides and their relevance to dental public health
5. discuss manpower utilization in relation to the need and demand for dental care
6. discuss public and private payment mechanisms for dental care
7. discuss issues affecting the quality of dental care and quality assurance strategies
8. discuss alternatives in delivery systems of dental care