Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Social Dentistry

Social Dentistry
3
14888
5
Second semester
op
Main language of instruction: Spanish

Other languages of instruction: English

Teaching staff


Dr. GINER TARRIDA, Lluís - lginer@uic.es

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) Desarrollo de habilidades clínico-humanísticas en el tratamiento del adulto mayor y pacientes con necesidad de cuidados.

b) Desarrollo de habilidades clínico-humanísticas en el tratamiento de personas inmigrantes y refugiadas.

c) Desarrollo de habilidades clínico-humanísticas en el tratamiento de pacientes con necesidades especiales.

d) Desarrollo de habilidades clínico-humanísticas en el trato con pacientes de colectivos sin hogar

Teaching and learning activities

In person



Several projects are planned for the practical part (which will be explained in class), and one option is to spend part of the established hours on a Social Dentistry project in Melilla. 
Students who wish to do so may choose to travel accompanied by a tutor to complete a practical part there for 4 days (with travel expenses: flights, accommodation, and food being covered by each student). The approximate cost is €400 (depending on the agency and the time of booking). 
Practical and in-classroom interventions 
a) The interventions will include educational, visual diagnostic, and clinical interventions based on current projects. 
b) The sessions will be held according to a schedule that combines activities with the availability of the venues, from October to April, preferably in the afternoons, with one day of the week dedicated to a different vulnerable group. As a guide (and depending on the preferences of each institution), the sessions will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons (in small groups of students) between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and on some Wednesday mornings between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. 
c) There will be two theoretical sessions, lasting 2 hours each (4 hours in total). These sessions will explain the different interventions and the skills to be developed before carrying out the practical intervention, as well as evaluate the results after the intervention.

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

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