Universitat Internacional de Catalunya - Barcelona

Epidemiology and Statistics

• code 07880
• course 1
• term Semester 2
• type OB
• credits 3

Main language of instruction: Spanish

Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English

If the student is enrolled for the English track then classes for that subject will be taught in the same language.

Head instructor

Dr. Juan Carlos MARTÍN - jcmartin@uic.es

Office hours

Office hours of this course are not pre-determined but are available on request via email to the appropriate professor.

Adrián González (agonzalezm@uic.es)

In Health Sciences, and therefore in Dentistry, researchers study phenomena affected by variability.  Therefore, clinical observation and the search for responses create the necessity to measure, order and systematize data to subsequently apply laws and extrapolate the obtained results to the study population, thus drawing conclusions for better clinical practice.  Biostatistics is the science, that with scientific rigor, gives us the quantitative tools to reach this goal. Epidemiology, on the other hand, is "the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including disease), and the application of this study to the control of diseases and other health problems". Both areas are necessary to perform analyses and critical readings of scientific literature and to promote clinical practices based on scientific evidence.

Not required

After the course students will have acquired the knowledge to:

• Carry out a basic statistical analysis.
• Properly interpret basic methodological aspects and results of scientific publications.
• Understand diseases based on various epidemiological measures.
• Know the different types of studies necessary for epidemiological research.
• Establish the methodological and analytical procedure to respond to the objectives posed by a clinical study. 
• Plan a well-designed study.

Skills that will be developed:

Use and management of information and search
Capacity for analysis and synthesis
Ability to work autonomously
Ability to apply knowledge in practice
Knowledge of the profession in the study area
Ability to generate knowledge from practice.

• 07 - Promoting new knowledge and techniques being acquired through autonomous learning, as well as the motivation to achieve quality.
• 08 - Knowing how to share information with other healthcare professionals and how to work as part of a team.
• 09 - Understanding the importance of keeping and using patient files in order to subsequently analyse them, while ensuring patient confidentiality is maintained.
• 11 - Understanding the basic biomedical science Dentistry is based on in order to ensure that adequate dental healthcare is provided.

• 2.06 - Develop appropriate research questions
• 2.08 - Know how to read scientific literature critically and recognize its parts
• 2.11 - Understand and interpret the fundamental concepts of bio statistics related to dentistry
• 2.12 - Use of specific IT tools
• 2.10 - Understand the fundamental concepts related to epidemiology and the scientific process

1. Introduction to statistics
2. Descriptive statistics
1. Frequency tables
2. Statistical measures (central tendency, spread, position and shape)
3. Graphical representations
4. Bivariate descriptive statistics
3. Inferential statistics
1. Introduction: confidence intervals and hypothesis testing
2. Univariate inference
3. Bivariate inference
4. Epidemiology
1. Types of studies
2. Measures of frequency
3. Measures of association
4. Measures of impact

The classes will be participative and serve to clarify and deepen the most important theoretical concepts.  Different methodologies and procedures will be presented in the classes to achieve the established objectives: 

• Lectures: exposition of theoretical concepts by the professor.
• Practical sessions: use of statistical software to carry out basic statistical analysis already explained in previous lectures.

1st call:

• Final exam: The final exam will include all content learned in the course and will make up 50% of the student's final grade. It is mandatory that the student passes the test to be able to pass the course.
• Final project: The student will apply concepts learned in the practical classes and turn in the final product at the end of the course.  It will make up 30% of the final grade. It is mandatory that the student passes the final project to be able to pass the course.
• Continuous evaluation: Small assignments during the duration of the course. They will make up 20% of the final grade.

2nd call:

If the student fails the final exam, they will have the opportunity to make a second attempt. The exam will be similar to that taken in the first attempt but will make up 70% of the final grade of the course. The final project grade will be kept.

• Martínez-González MA, Sánchez-Villegas A, Faulín Fajardo FJ. Bioestadística amigable (2ª ED). Díaz de Santos. Madrid; 2006.
• Peña D. Fundamentos en Estadística. 1 ed. Alianza Editorial, S.A.: Madrid; 2001.
• Ahlbom A, Norell S (2000). Fundamentos de Epidemiología. 3ª ed. Madrid: Siglo XXI Editores.
• Bopal R (2002). Concepts of Epidemiology - An integrated introduction to the ideas, theories,
• Principles and methods of epidemiology. London: Oxford University Press.
• Rothman KJ (2002). Epidemiology: An introduction. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Szklo M, Nieto J (2003). Epidemiologia intermedia: conceptos y aplicaciones. Madrid: Díez de Santos.
• Clayton D. Statistical models in epidemiology.
• Argimon. Metodos para Investigacion Clinica y Epidemiologica.
• Jewell N. (2004). Statistics for Epidemiology. Chapman & Hall/ CRC.
• CDC. Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice. Third Edition. Atlanta: CDC; 2012.
• Kleinbaum DG, Sullivan KM, Barker N. A pocket-guide to epidemiology. New York: Springer; 2007.
• Kim JS, Dailey RJ. Biostatistics for oral healthcare. Blackwell Munksgaard, 2008.

E: exam date | R: revision date | 1: first session | 2: second session:

• E1 14/05/2019 08:00h I2
• E1 14/05/2019 08:00h I1
• E1 14/05/2019 08:00h I3
• R1 04/06/2019 09:00h A10
• E2 25/06/2019 08:00h A02
• R2 02/07/2019 10:00h A02