MCCCD Program Description

Community Oral Health

Course: DHE229

First Term: 2021 Spring

Lecture 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Occupational
Load Formula: S - Standard Load

Description: An examination of methods used to assess the oral health status of the community and to plan, implement, finance and evaluate dental public health programs. Focus on community-based health promotion and disease prevention measures to improve the oral health of the population, as well as the characteristics of dental care delivery systems and the social, political, psychological and economic factors affecting utilization within the system.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Describe the levels of organization of health care. (I) 2. Compare and contrast the role of the dental hygienist in community programs with that in private practice. (I) 3. Discuss the utilization of dental professionals for the appropriate provision of oral health services. (I) 4. Explain the various methods of financing dental care. (I) 5. Examine demographics, current trends and barriers affecting the dental care delivery system. (II) 6. Identify social and cultural aspects affecting utilization of dental services. (II) 7. Describe cultural diversity and cultural competence. (II) 8. Demonstrate the basic principles of oral epidemiology. (III) 9. Determine effective preventive methods used in public programs. (III) 10. Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate a community-based program. (III) 11. Discuss local, state, and federal initiatives affecting oral health. (III) 12. Describe the basic principles of biostatistics and sound research design. (IV)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Dental service delivery A. Dental public health overview B. Overview of the dental service delivery system C. The dental workforce D. Payment and reimbursement for dental services E. Interprofessionalism II. Demographic shifts in oral health A. Recognizing cultural equity and equality B. Underserved populations III. Dental disease distribution and prevention A. Epidemiology of oral diseases B. Population-based indices C. Effective community prevention programs D. Oral health promotion E. Planning for community dental programs F. Program evaluation in health care IV. Research in dental public health A. Introduction to biostatistics B. Dental literature analysis

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: May 5, 2020

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.