Bachelor of Oral Health

The Bachelor of Oral Health is a fixed, three-year, full-time program. It has a combined vocational outcome of oral health therapy (dental hygiene and dental therapy) and its curriculum reflects the latest developments in oral health.

The course has four main components:

Dental science: those subjects providing a theoretical background to the procedures used in providing dental care, including the structure and function of normal and abnormal tissues of the body and principles of treatment of disease.

Social science and preventive dentistry: those subjects concerned with preventing dental disease in the community. Community studies and oral health promotion are a major feature of this component, but it also includes ethics, psychology, sociology and research methods.

Clinical dentistry: those subjects related to oral health therapy practice which are common to dental hygienists' and dental therapists' clinical practice. They include infection control, instrumentation, dental materials, examination procedures, record taking, diagnosis and treatment planning, as well as operative procedures such as preventive therapies, fluoride application, orthodontic procedures, impressions and oral radiography.

Vocational clinical practice: in this component the student undertakes clinical management of dental decay in children, adolescents and young adults and the prevention of disease and the conservative management of periodontal conditions for people of all ages. Clinical work is undertaken at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne in all years of the course and at other metropolitan and rural community health centres in the final year of the course. The manual and communication skills needed for clinical dentistry are developed gradually as students progress through the course.

OTHER COSTS – DENTAL INSTRUMENTS: 1st year students are required to purchase dental instruments/equipment early in the first week of the course. The kit costs approximately $4,000 and will provide the required preclinical instruments for the 1st and 2nd years of the BOH program.

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

1.Be able to:

a)demonstrate appropriate knowledge and skills in primary, secondary and tertiary oral health care including oral examination, diagnosis, treatment planning and clinical therapeutic skills, in orderto practice those aspects of dental therapy and dental hygiene permitted by the legislation governing the practice of dentistry in Australia;

b)relate the scientific basis of health and clinical sciences to the technical and vocational aspects of oral health therapy practice;

c)deliver oral health care in an holistic fashion which takes cognisance of the social, cultural and economic environment in which people live;

d)demonstrate a capacity to design, implement and evaluate preventive interventions at the individual or community level;

e)demonstrate an ability and the confidence to collaborate with all members of the dental team and professionals from other areas such as health, welfare and education;

f)demonstrate an ability to refer patients whose dental care is beyond the scope of the dental hygienist and dental therapist through appropriate referral networks;

g)understand and apply the principles that underpin the ethical codes and legal requirements governing the practice of dentistry;

h)provide care for people that protects their dignity, autonomy, cultural and social values;

i)demonstrate an approach to professional practice incorporating intellectual integrity, self evaluation, development and lifelong learning and a commitment to the oral health therapy community;

2.Have developed:

a)critical, analytical and problem solving skills;

b)the skills to acquire, synthesize and adapt knowledge to a variety of situations;

c)a high level of written and oral communication skills;

d)the capacity for rational inquiry, self directed learning and the integration of new knowledge;

e)the ability to use various mediums to communicate and collaborate with patients and their families;

3.Have the ability:

a)and self confidence to comprehend and respond to complex concepts;

b)to plan work and use time effectively;

4.Possess the knowledge and skills required to advocate for, and promote, the oral health of individuals and groups in both clinical and community settings, especially disadvantaged individuals and groups;

5.Comprehend the principles of population oral health approaches in the contemporary Australian context.

To perform satisfactorily in the course, students must be able to achieve, at least to a satisfactory level, all of the objectives above.

A list of attributes of the Melbourne graduate can be found at: http://www.unimelb.edu.au/about/attributes.html